17. This, That, and They

What You’ll Learn

This lesson teaches how Early Hick points to things in the world:

endings for “this” and “that”;
the difference between ordinary things and living or forceful things;
how “this person” can stand in for “I” when needed;
how plural people forms can mean groups;
how distant forms can sound like gossip about outsiders.

Pointing with Endings

English uses separate words like “this” and “that.” Early Hick usually uses word endings instead.

mater-is
boat-this
"this boat"

mater-en
boat-that
"that boat"

These endings come before the sentence role ending:

mater-is-es
boat-this-MAIN
"this boat" as the main noun or receiver

Things and Living Forces

Early Hick has different pointing endings for ordinary things and for people, animals, or forces treated as active.

Plain idea	Ordinary thing	Living or forceful thing
this	`-is`	`-'is`
that known one	`-en`	`-tan`
that sensed one	`-eth`	`-thir`
that distant one	`-um`	`-rum`

People and animals usually use the living/forceful side.

'al-'is-es
person-this-MAIN
"this person"

pel-tan-es
bear-that-MAIN
"that bear"

Some non-living things can also use the living/forceful side when speakers treat them as active on their own: lightning, wind, seas, rivers, storms, fire, and other forces with apparent independent motion.

toran-thir-es
river-that.sensed.force-MAIN
"that river" / "that sensed force of the river"

A windmill could be treated this way if it feels like it acts on its own. A waterwheel is less likely, because the moving water is the obvious force.

This Person for “I”

Early Hick does not need an English-style “I” in every sentence. If context makes the speaker clear, the sentence can leave that reference out.

barak'er
walk-ACTION
"I walk." / "they walk." / "someone walks." depending on context

When the speaker needs to emphasize themself, they can use 'al'is, “this person.”

'al'is-es barak'er
person-this-MAIN walk-ACTION
"I walk." / "This person walks."

This is useful for contrast:

'al'is-es barak'er, 'al-tan-es imeresp'er
person-this-MAIN walk-ACTION person-that-MAIN sleep-ACTION
"I walk; that person sleeps."

Known People and Distant People

Use -tan for a known person or group in the shared conversation.

'al-tan-el ward'er
person-that-DOER guide-ACTION
"that person guides"

Use ma- when you mean a group of people. With person words, these forms can feel like collectivizers: a way to talk about people as a group.

ma-'al-tan-el ward'er
GROUP-person-that-DOER guide-ACTION
"those people guide" / "that known group guides"

Use -rum for people who are far away, unknown, generalized, or socially distant.

ma-'al-rum-el ward'er
GROUP-person-distant-DOER guide-ACTION
"those people guide" / "people like that guide"

That last meaning can appear in gossip about an outgroup. It is like English “they say” or “those people,” where the speaker does not mean a visible group standing nearby.

Objects Near You

When you talk about an ordinary object in relation to yourself, use the ordinary thing endings, not the person forms.

mater-is-es
boat-this-MAIN
"this boat" / "this boat of mine here"

mater-en-es
boat-that-MAIN
"that boat" / "that boat associated with the current scene"

These are not the same as English “my” and “your.” They point to something in the situation.

Try It

Choose the best form.

Say “this boat” as the main noun.
Say “that known person” as the doer.
Say “those known people” as the doer.
Which ending would fit a sensed active wind: -eth or -thir?
Which phrase can sound like gossip about an outgroup: ma'altanel or ma'alrumel?

Pop quizAnswers

materises
```
mater-is-es
boat-this-MAIN
"this boat"
```

'altanel

'al-tan-el
person-that-DOER
"that known person" as doer

ma'altanel

ma-'al-tan-el
GROUP-person-that-DOER
"those known people" as doer

-thir
```
sensed living or forceful one
```

ma'alrumel

GROUP-person-distant-DOER
"people like that" as doer

Reference Note

For more in-depth information, see Demonstrative System and Personal Reference.