8.3 Nominalization

Nominalization

Nominalizations are nouns that are created from adjectives or verbs. Take for example the word judgment; it is made up of the verb judge plus the suffix -ment. The suffix -ment changes the verb into a noun. In English the suffixes -ment, -ion, and -al are the most common in nominalization. Timucua has its own nominalizers.

-No

In Timucua, several nouns can be made from verbs by adding the nominalizing suffix –no. Click on the Timucua word to listen to how it sounds.

caqui = hold

caquino = prison

chiqe = withhold, omit

chiqeno = secret

yayi = to be strong

yayino = strength 

hebua = speak

hebuano = word

fali = open 

falino = window

soba mahaquano pahama

soba mahaqua-no paha-ma

meat sell-nmlz       house-def

butcher shop, house where meat is sold

-Siba and -Tema

Two other common nominalizer suffixes in Timucua are –siba and –tema. As an example, the verb bali means “to hunt” and, when the nominalizer –siba is added, it then becomes balisiba, or “the one who hunts” or “the hunter.” What’s more, –siba tends to imply that the action is done habitually. With the suffix –tema, hubuasotema means “one who loves” from hubuaso “to love.”

Here are some additional examples:

hebuanoecasiba
hebuano ecasiba
wordteach-agentnom
He who teaches.
ticoyaletema
ticoyaletema
canoeload-nmlz
One who loads the canoe.
caqihitichitomanaipolosiba
caqihitichito-mana-ipolo-siba
thisdevilhead-def ins-step-agentnom
The one who steps on the head of the devil.
diosnumahibuatema
diosnumahibua-tema
godheavenlive-nmlz
God who lives in heaven.
Anomelabosibama
anomelabo-siba-ma
Hon-be:merciful-agentnom-def
The honorable one who is merciful.