Grammar
As in many other Native American languages, a Nez Perce verb can have the meaning of an entire sentence in English. (This manner of providing a great deal of information in one word is called polysynthesis.) Verbal affixes provide information about the person and number of the subject and object, as well as tense and aspect (e.g., whether or not an action has been completed).
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ʔaw̓líwaaʔinpqawtaca ʔew - ʔilíw - wee - ʔinipí - qaw - tée - ce 1/2-3 - fire - fly - grab - straight.through - go.away - 'I go to scoop him up in the fire' (Cash Cash 2004:24)
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hitw̓alapáyna hi - tiw̓ele - pááy - e 3 - in.rain - come - 'He arrived in the rain' (Aoki 1979)
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