The verbs above have a stem ending in short i that disappears when -u is added in the 3rd person of the Independent Indicative Present, the form found in the Innu dictionary. However, other forms include the i, such as the conjunct, used after the negative particle apu.
EXAMPLES OF II VERBS WITH SHORT i STEMS
ńukamu
the water ripples
apu ńukamit
the water does not ripple
pikamu
the water is murky
apu pikamit
the water is not murky
mińuakamu
the water is good
apu mińuakamit
the water is not good
uikakamu
it tastes good
apu uikakamit
it does not taste good
shiuakamu
it is salty
apu shiuakamit
it is not salty
tshimuanamu
it is exposed to the rain
apu tshimuanamit
it is not exposed to the rain
aupishu
the water is calm
apu aupishit
the water is not calm
ńakashu
it is lightweight
apu ńakashit
it is not lightweight
takuashu
it is short
apu takuashit
it is not short
ńiuashu
the water is shallow
apu ńiuashit
the water is not shallow
utakussu
it is evening
utakussipan
it was evening
NOTES
When a morpheme can be identified in the stem, as with -kam-liquid, -sh-diminutive above, it is easier to classify the II verbs that contain them with the correct stem type.
The past tense is also a good test to find short i verbs: apishashi+pan=apishashipanit was small. Since the past tense suffix (-pan) has the effect of lengthening the preceding vowel, the i of the stem can be easily heard.
