si-

Choctaw

Prefix

si- (except before a/o sa-, class II first-person singular)

1. the direct object of an active transitive verb

   me

2. the subject of a stative intransitive verb

   I

3. indicates possession of a noun

   my

Usage notes

Class II person markers are used for possession only for a small set of words, mostly including kinship terms and body parts.

Inflection

Choctaw Person Markers

			class I			class II		class III		class N		imperative
			+s	+C	+V	+C/i	+a/o	+C	+V	+C	+V	+C	+V
first-person	singular	initial	-li			sa-	si-	a-	am-	ak-		n/a
		medial						-sa-	-sam-
	paucal		ī-		il-	pi-		pi-	pim-	kī-	kil-
	plural					hapi-		hapi-	hapim-
second-person	singular		is-	ish-		chi-		chi-	chim-	chik-		∅
	plural		has-	hash-		hachi-		hachi-	hachim-	hachik-		ho-	oh-
third-person			∅			∅		i-	im-	ik-

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Chuukese

Prefix

si-

1. First-person plural inclusive subject marker for tense modifying adverbs.

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Navajo

Prefix

si-

1. my, me

Usage notes

This is an alternative form of shi- which comes about in some words as a result of coronal harmony. See, for example, sikʼis, sitsilí. This once firm rule has become optional, and today most Navajo speakers actually prefer to ignore the rules of sibilant (coronal) harmony, especially when there is relatively greater distance between the 1st-person shi- and the alveolar sibilant in the root.

See also

Navajo possessive pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			shi-	nihi-	danihi-
2nd person			ni-	nihi-	danihi-
3rd person			bi-
4th person (3o)			yi-
4th person (3a)			ha-, hw-
Indefinite person (3i)			a-

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Northern Ndebele

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ̀-, via an intermediate form *tɪ̀-.

Prefix

si-

1. we; first-person plural subject concord.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ́-, via an intermediate form *tɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. us; first-person plural object concord.

Etymology 3

From Proto-Bantu *kɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. he, she, it; class 7 subject concord.
2. him, her, it; class 7 object concord.

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Phuthi

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ̀-, via an intermediate form *tɪ̀-.

Prefix

si-

1. we; first-person plural subject concord.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ́-, via an intermediate form *tɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. us; first-person plural object concord.

Etymology 3

From Proto-Bantu *kɪ́-kɪ̀-.

Prefix

si-

1. Class 7 noun prefix.

Etymology 4

From Proto-Bantu *kɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. he, she, it; class 7 subject concord.
2. him, her, it; class 7 object concord.

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Southern Ndebele

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ̀-, via an intermediate form *tɪ̀-.

Prefix

si-

1. we; first-person plural subject concord.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ́-, via an intermediate form *tɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. us; first-person plural object concord.

Etymology 3

From Proto-Bantu *kɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. he, she, it; class 7 subject concord.
2. him, her, it; class 7 object concord.

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Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya)

  (file)

Prefix

si-

1. the negative emphatic copula or negative focusing copula: expresses "it is not" with an inflected object

Inflection

Emphatic copula forms:

Pronominals	1s	2s	3s	1p	2p	3p
Positive	ndimi, ndiye	ndiwe, ndiye	ndiye	ndisi, ndio	ndinyi, ndio	ndio
Negative	simi, siye	siwe, siye	siye	sio, sisi*	sinyi, siyo	sio

Classes	c1	c2/c3/c11/c14	c4/c6/c9	c5	c7	c8	c10	c15	c16	c17
Positive	ndiye	ndio	ndiyo	ndilo	ndicho	ndivyo	ndizo	ndiko	ndipo	ndimo
Negative	siye	sio	siyo	silo	sicho	sivyo	sizo	siko	sipo	simo

* The form sisi "it is not us" is not frequently used as it is identical to the pronoun sisi "we", "us". Instead it is virtually always replaced with sio.

See also

• Swahili grammar#Emphatic copula
• ndi-

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Swazi

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ̀-, via an intermediate form *tɪ̀-.

Prefix

si-

1. we; first-person plural subject concord.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ́-, via an intermediate form *tɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. us; first-person plural object concord.

Etymology 3

From Proto-Bantu *kɪ́-kɪ̀-.

Prefix

si-

1. Class 7 noun prefix.

Etymology 4

From Proto-Bantu *kɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. he, she, it; class 7 subject concord.
2. him, her, it; class 7 object concord.

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Tabaru

Prefix

si-

1. applicative prefix

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Tocharian A

Verb

si-

1. to drain

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Tocharian B

Verb

si-

1. to drain

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Xhosa

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ̀-, via an intermediate form *tɪ̀-.

Prefix

si-

1. we; first-person plural subject concord.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ́-, via an intermediate form *tɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. us; first-person plural object concord.

Etymology 3

From Proto-Bantu *kɪ́-.

Prefix

si-

1. he, she, it; class 7 subject concord.
2. him, her, it; class 7 object concord.

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Zulu

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ̀-, via an intermediate form *tɪ̀-.

Prefix

si-

1. we; first-person plural subject concord.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Bantu *tʊ́-, via an intermediate form *tɪ́-.

Prefix

sí-

1. us; first-person plural object concord.

Etymology 3

From Proto-Bantu *kɪ̀-.

Prefix

si-

1. Class 7 simple noun prefix.

Etymology 4

From Proto-Bantu *kɪ́-.

Prefix

sí-

1. he, she, it; class 7 subject concord.
2. him, her, it; class 7 object concord.

References

• C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “si-”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “si-”