łigai
See also: ligai
Navajo
Etymology
łi- (adjectival) + -Ø- (ni-modal 3rd person subject prefix) + -Ø- (classifier) + -gai (neuter imperfective stem of root -GAII, “to be white”).
Compare Dogrib degoo, Ahtna lggeyi.
The łi- prefix appears to have originated historically from the -ł- classifier. When this prefix appears immediately in pre-stem position, it takes the shape of a -l- classifier.
Pronunciation
Audio (NV) (file)
Verb
łigai
- it is white.
- Shash łigai ― The (one or two) bear is white.
- Shash daalgai ― The (three or more) bears are white.
Usage notes
This is a neuter verb. As such, it has only the imperfective stem.
Conjugation
Paradigm: Neuter imperfective (ni).
| IMPERFECTIVE | singular | duoplural | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | łinishgai | łiniigai | dałiniigai |
| 2nd person | łinígai | łinohgai | dałinohgai |
| 3rd person | łigai | daalgai | |
| 4th person | jilgai | dajilgai | |
Derived terms
- dinilgai (“off-white”)
- łééchąąłgaii
See also
- dlǫ́ʼiiłgaii
- shash łigaígíí
| Colors in Navajo · nidaashchʼąąʼígíí (layout · text) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| łigai | łibá (dark gray: dinilzhin) | łizhin | ||
| łichííʼ | łichxíʼí (light orange: diniltsxo) ; dibéłchíʼí, yishtłizh (dark brown: dinilzhin) | łitso (light yellow: diniltso) ; dinilgai | ||
| dinooltłʼizh, chʼilgo dootłʼizh | ||||
| dootłʼizhii | yágo dootłʼizh | dootłʼizh | ||
| diłhiłgo dootłʼizh | tsédídéehgo dootłʼizh | dinilchííʼ | ||
Western Apache
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ɬɪ́kài]
Noun
łigai
- white
Verb
łigai
- be white
References
- 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.