nagishkan
The Ojibwe verb nagishkan means to stop.
The word is used to express the act of not continuing an action or a state.
Meaning: not to continue (verb)
Did you know?
- Because Ojibwe is a polysynthetic language, a single word meaning 'stop' can be expanded into a long sentence describing exactly how and why the movement ceased.
- Ojibwe verbs often indicate whether the action is an 'animate' or 'inanimate' process, which affects how one says 'stop' depending on what is being stopped.
- While English uses 'stop' for everything from a car to a conversation, Ojibwe may use different linguistic constructions depending on whether the subject is controlling the stop or if the stop is happening to them.
Example conversation
Winona is telling Zhaawan to stop running in the house.
- WinonaZhaawan, nagishkan!Zhaawan, stop!
- ZhaawanAanii, aaniish?What, why?
- WinonaGichi-nagishkan gisoowaanig.Stop running inside.
- ZhaawanMiigwech, nagishkan aa.Thanks, I'll stop.
