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7.Verb Classifiers

Voice distinctions are made primarily by change of classifier, a prefixed element appearing just before the initial consonant of the stem. Four such classifiers are discernible: zero, -ł-, -d- , and -l-.

Verbs with zero classifiers may be neuter intransitive, neuter transitive, active intransitive or active transitive. Thus, si'áͅ 'a round object has position' [si-perfective prefix, -'áͅ neuter intr. stem], ya'íͅ 'he sees it' [ya- > yi- third person object plus the progressive mode prefix, -'íͅ neuter tr. stem], 'idi'aa 'a round object starts to move' ['i- deictic prefix, di- inceptive, -'aa imperfective stem, act. intr.], yidi'aa 'he starts to carry a round object' [yi- third person object, di- inceptive, -'aa imperfective stem, act. tr.] all have the zero classifier.

Some zero class intransitives. may be transitivized by the addition of the -ł- classifier. Compare: si'áͅ a round object has position' with síł'áͅ 'I have a round object in position' [sí- perfective first person]; sítíͅ 'I lie' with síłtíͅ 'I have an animate object in position'; ntee 'he lies down' [n- terminative prefix, -tee imperfective stem, act. intr.] with naiłtee 'he carries a living object about' [nai- > naa- 'about' plus yi- third person object, -ł-tee imperfective stem, act. tr.]; hibéézh 'it boils [hi- peg prefix, -béézh imperfective stem, act. intr.] with yiłbéézh 'he boils it' [yi- third person object, - ł-béézh imperfective stem, act. tr.].

This, however, is not true in all cases. Some transitives formed from intransitives do not add the -ł- classifier but retain the zero classifier. Compare: idi'aa 'a round object begins to move' with yidi'aa 'he starts to carry a round object'; sitáͅ 'a long slender object has position' [-táͅ neuter intr. stem] with nyíńtáͅ 'he has put a long slender object down' [n- 'down', yi- third person object, n- perfective, -táͅ perfective stem, act. tr.]. Furthermore, there are a number of intransitive verbs with -[- classifier: hiłkaa- 'day is dawning', 'i[hosh 'he is sleeping', 'iiłháásh 'he is about to fall asleep'.

All passive verbs have either the -d- or the -l- classifier. Those derived from zero class transitives employ the former, and those derived from -ł- class transitives employ the latter.

In Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache, however, the -d- classifier has been lost as such. Its presence can only be detected in verbs whose stems begin with '-, nd-, y-, gh-, z-, zh-, or l-. In these verbs, the -d- has combined with the initial stem consonant as follows:

             

-d- classifier plus:	'-	>	t'-
	nd-	>	hnd-
	y-	>	d-
	gh-	>	g-
	z-	>	dz-
	zh-	>	j-
	l-	>	dl-

The -l- classifier, on the other hand, has become -ł- in Chiricahua and Mescalero. Consequently, most passives in these languages would be formally indistinguishable from zero and - ł- class verbs were it not for the fact that other alternations characterize them. One is that the passive form does not include the third person pronoun object required in all third persons of transitive verbs. Another is that all -d- and -l- class verbs take the same subject pronoun series in the perfective paradigm that they take in the other paradigms whereas zero and -ł- class verbs have a distinctive set of subject pronouns in the perfective paradigm.

The classifiers and their functions may, then, be summarized as follows:

• I. Zero class verbs.
  A. Intransitive.
  B. Transitive.



• II. -ł- class verbs.
  A. Transitives derived from verbs of class I. A.
  B. Intransitives.



• III. -d- class verbs.
  A. Passives derived from verbs of class I. B.
  B. Verbs having -d- form because of the prefix complex.



• IV. -l- class verbs.
  A. Passives derived from verbs of class II. A.
  B. Verbs having-1-form because of the prefix complex.