11. Saying No and Not

What You’ll Learn

This lesson teaches three ways Early Hick handles negative meaning:

mope, the ordinary answer for “no”;
mo-, the prefix that means “not”;
pe!, a sharper refusal word used in limited situations.

Saying No with `mope`

Use mope when the answer to a yes/no question is simply “no.”

'athid 'al-es barak'er?
IS.IT.TRUE person-MAIN walk-ACTION
"Does the person walk?"

mope
no
"No."

mope answers the question as a whole. It does not tell the listener which part of the sentence is false.

Saying What Is Not True

To say what is not true, use the prefix mo-. A prefix is a word part added to the front of another word. Here, mo- means “not.”

The same pattern can give a short answer after a question:

This is more specific than mope. It says exactly which action is being denied.

Not with Describing Words

When a description uses ka-, put mo- before the whole ka- form.

The order matters here:

Think of mo-ka-kel as “not-blue,” then -'er turns that description into the main action-like word of the sentence.

Not Correct

gnar can mean “yes” or “correct.” To deny correctness, use mo-gnar.

Use mope for a plain “no.” Use mo-gnar when the point is that a statement, answer, or action is incorrect.

A Stronger Refusal: `pe!`

Early Hick also has pe!, an older refusal word. It is not the normal answer for “no.” It sounds sharper, more childish, teasing, or petulant depending on the situation.

pe!
no!
"No!" / "I won't!"

For ordinary speech, use mope.

Try It

Choose the best short answer or negative form.

Answer “no” as a whole sentence answer.
```
'athid kel-es kakel'er?
```
Say “does not walk.”
```
barak'er
```
Say “is not blue.”
```
ka-kel'er
```
Say “that is not correct.”
```
gnar
```

Pop quizAnswers

mope
```
no
"No."
```
mo-barak'er
```
not-walk-ACTION
"does not walk"
```
mo-ka-kel'er
```
not-blue-ACTION
"is not blue"
```
mo-gnar
```
not-correct
"That is not correct."
```

Reference Note

For more in-depth information, see Negation System and Interrogatives.