Alignment

As alluded to above, Hikóómayíi shows ergative alignment, since verbs inflect for the absolutive participant (S of intransitive clauses, P of transitive clauses, R of ditransitive clauses). The ergative (A of transitive clauses) is not indexed on the verb.

Additionally, verbs mark a direct/inverse distinction. Hikóómayíi has a prominence hierarchy: 1/2 > 3prox > 3obv > inan, in which the persons to the left are considered more naturally topical than those to their right, and are considered more natural to act upon rightward persons. That is, it's more natural for a proximate third person to act on an obviative than vice versa, and more natural for an SAP (speech act participant = 1st or 2nd person) to act on an inanimate object than vice versa. For verbs in which a lower ranking participant acts upon a higher ranking participant, the inverse prefix θIᴴ- is required. The inverse is used:

1. In monotransitive or ditransitive clauses with:

• An inanimate subject
• An obviative subject and proximate or SAP primary object
• A proximate subject and SAP primary object

2. In ditransitive clauses with:

• An inanimate recipient (=primary object)
• A proximate or SAP theme (=secondary object) and obviative primary object
• An SAP secondary object and proximate primary object

Some examples:

(17a) sóó-|ho|-θoᴴč-yóóna-yoᴴ > sóóhoθočóonyó
tr-say-antps-3obv.real.pfv-mtn (prox→obv = direct)
"(he) said to him(obv) . . ." (e.g. line 23)

(17b) sóó-θIᴴ-|ho|-θoᴴč-`yóos-yoᴴ > sóoθhoθočóošyo
tr-inv-say-antps-3sprox.real.pfv-mtn (obv→prox = inverse)
"(he(obv)) said to him(prox) . . ." (e.g. line 25)

(18a) |ʔííxíí|-yóó-nyó > ʔííxííyóonyó
possess-3inan.real.impfv-stat (SAP→inan = direct)
"(I) have it" (line 26)

(18b) ʔoᴴ-očhó-θIᴴ-|wóóθáá|-sóó-sisa > ʔočhoθwóóθáásóósisa
venit-deont-inv-go-ben-1sg.irreal.pfv (prox→SAP = inverse)
"(he) should have come with me" (line 50)

Note that any transitive verb with an inanimate subject is marked as inverse, even if it also has an intransitive object, as in (19). Inanimate participants are not ranked for prominence with respect to one another ((19) could theoretically also mean "(the trees were not) hanging from (fruits)"), so the inverse in such clauses merely marks the verb as a transitive verb with an inanimate subject.

(19) θIᴴ-|xwíí|-`č-yóó > θwíičóó
inv-hang-loc.applic:inan-3inan.real.impfv (inan.subj = inverse)
"(fruits were not) hanging from them (the trees)" (modified from line 9)