Lenape Tribe Seal

Lenape Talking Dictionary

By English WORD or PHRASE

By Lenape WORD or PHRASE

Detailed Entry Information

Sound Icon
English:he gives it to him
Lenape:mwilaon [vta]

Comments

Initial /w/ metathesizes with /m/.
/wa/ is realized as /o/.
Inanimate /-ne/ is realized as /-n/ in final position.
Note: this form represents an innovation by the last generation of native speakers inasmuch as /-w/ and /-ne/ normally occupy the same suffix slot (position 5a).

Analysis

Form:
mwilaon
Structure:
w-mil-a-w-a-ne
Meaning:
3-give-dir- 3-obv-inan