Continuing our blog series on speech attribution in Chamorro, we will learn how the reciprocal á- prefix is used to indicate who is speaking in Chamorro stories. This prefix is used in sentences such as “The women asked each other” or “Juan and I sang to each other.” The reciprocal á- prefix is used in more than just speech attribution, but it can be helpful to learn this prefix in the context of storytelling. This post includes an introduction to the á- prefix, sentence drills in Chamorro with the audio, and English translations. Happy studying!

Contents
Intro to the á- prefix How to apply the á- prefix Dual They asked each other Pai and Pedro asked each other You and Pai asked each other 3+ People They asked each other The women asked each other You and the women asked each other References

Introduction to the Á- Prefix

The á- prefix is added to the beginning of a verb, and makes the verb be reciprocal. This means that the people doing the action are doing the action to each other. Some literal examples in English of this reciprocity include:

• We looked at each other
• They talked to each other
• You both called each other

There are also other ways we tend to speak in English that are considered reciprocal in Chamorro, but this reciprocal aspect is not stated so obviously as it is in the previous sentences. Some common examples include:

• We met at the beach
• Pai and Pedro got married
• I am going to see my family later

In this post we are going to focus on some words we may read or hear in speech attribution, but it is good to know that the reciprocal á- prefix has wider applications beyond just speech attribution.

How to Apply the Á- Prefix

First, let’s practice applying the á- prefix to some verbs. To use this prefix, we put it at the beginning of the verb (and the verb can be transitive or intransitive). Note that the stress lands on the á- prefix. Here are examples of some root words, which are then transformed with the á- prefix:

Root Word	+ á- prefix
faisen	áfaisen
kuentos	ákuentos
sangåni	ásangåni
kantåyi	ákantåyi
prumeti	áprumeti

When we speak in the past or present/continuous tense, we must affix these words again. When there are 2 people doing the action, we affix it with the -UM- infix. When there are 3 or more people doing the action, we affix it with the plural man- prefix. Let’s practice these transformations in preparation for our sentence drills.

First, let’s affix our words with the -um- infix. The -um- goes in front of the á:

+ á- prefix	+ -um- infix
áfaisen	umáfaisen
ákuentos	umákuentos
ásangåni	umásangåni
ákantåyi	umákantåyi
áprumeti	umáprumeti

Next, let’s affix our words with the plural man- prefix. The plural man- prefix goes in front of the á:

+ á- prefix	+ plural man- infix
áfaisen	manáfaisen
ákuentos	manákuentos
ásangåni	manásangåni
ákantåyi	manákantåyi
áprumeti	manáprumeti

Now let’s start using these affixed words in some sentence drills. We will split the following sentence drills into two sections. In the first we will practice making sentences that involve two people, and the next section will have drills with three or more people.

Dual

They asked each other (dual)

In this first phrase structure, we will make sentences involving two people doing the action, and we will use pronouns to indicate these people. The word order is Verb + Subject, where the subject is indicated by a yu’ type pronoun. Our verb must be affixed first with the á- prefix, and then with the -um- infix. And these phrases are interpreted in the past tense, although there are verbs that are exceptions (like guaiya).

Our basic sentence structure is as follows:

[ -UM- + [ á- + Verb] ] + Yu’ Type Pronoun

To start, let’s practice with one verb, áfaisen, and some different pronouns:

Chamorro	English
Umáfaisen hit.	We (2) asked each other.
Umáfaisen hamyo.	You (2) asked each other.
Umáfaisen siha.	They (2) asked each other.
Umáfaisen ham.	We (2) asked each other.

Now let’s practice with the other verbs, in the basic form shown above:

Chamorro	English
Umákuentos hit.	We (2) talked to each other
Umásangåni siha.	They (2) told each other
Umákantåyi hamyo.	You (2) sang to each other
Umáprumeti ham.	We (2) promised each other

Pai and Pedro asked each other

Now we will start to build on our basic sentences by indicating, specifically, who is doing the action. We can indicate the people by their name, or we can use nouns to specify who is talking. Let’s start with names.

To show that it’s two people who are talking to each other, use si + Proper Name after the verb. If we want to indicate two people, use yan (and) in-between their names. The basic structure will be as follows:

[ -UM- + [ á- + Verb] ] + si Proper Name + yan + si Proper Name

Let’s get used to this structure with the verb áfaisen and Juan:

Chamorro	English
Umáfaisen si Juan yan si Maria.	Juan and Maria asked each other.
Umáfaisen si Juan yan si Pai.	Juan and Pai asked each other.
Umáfaisen si Juan yan si Dabit.	Juan and David asked each other.
Umáfaisen si Juan yan si Kiko’.	Juan and Frank asked each other.

Now let’s practice this form with the other verbs:

Chamorro	English
Umákuentos si Ana yan si Juan.	Ana and Juan talked to each other
Umásangåni si Tona yan si Chai.	Antoinette and Rosa told each other
Umákantåyi si Al yan si Eddie.	Al and Eddie sang to each other
Umáprumeti si Ramón yan si Ann	Raymond and Ann promised each other

You and Pai asked each other

In this final sentence structure involving two people, we will be indicating the subjects with a pronoun and a person’s name. We will be using yu’ type pronouns and si + Proper Name to indicate the people doing the action. The basic sentence structure we’ll use is as follows:

[ -UM- + [ á- + Verb] ] + Yu’ Type Pronoun + yan + si Proper Name

Let’s get used to this structure with the verb áfaisen and Juan:

Chamorro	English
Umáfaisen hamyo yan si Juan.	You and Juan asked each other.
Umáfaisen ham yan si Juan.	Juan and I asked each other.
Umáfaisen siha yan si Juan.	Juan and somebody asked each other.

Important Note on Pronouns: If you notice in the examples above, all of the yu’ type pronouns are plural pronouns. This differs from how we would construct the same sentences in English, such as in Juan and I asked each other. We use Juan and the singular pronoun I to indicate who is asking each other. Naturally, from an English context we would want to translate this into Chamorro as Umáfaisen yu’ yan si Juan. While we will likely be understood, that yu’ type pronoun must actually be plural to indicate that it’s 2 or more people asking each other, even when we state the other person’s name.

Now that we’ve had some practice, let’s do more drills with the other verbs:

Chamorro	English
Umákuentos siha yan si Al.	Al and somebody talked to each other
Umásangåni ham yan si Chai.	Rosa and I told each other
Umákantåyi hamyo yan si Eddie.	You and Eddie sang to each other
Umáprumeti ham yan si Ann	Ann and I promised each other

3+ People

In this next section, we will make sentences involving 3 or more people doing the action. Rather than transforming our verb with the -UM- infix, we will be using the Plural Man- Prefix.

They asked each other

In this first sentence structure, the subjects will be indicated by a yu’ type pronoun. And our verb will be transformed first by the á- prefix, and then with the plural man- prefix. And these phrases are interpreted in the past tense.

Our basic sentence structure is as follows:

[ Plural Man- + [ á- + Verb] ] + Yu’ Type Pronoun

To start, let’s practice with one verb, áfaisen, and some different pronouns:

Chamorro	English
Manáfaisen hit.	We (3+) asked each other.
Manáfaisen hamyo.	You (3+) asked each other.
Manáfaisen siha.	They (3+) asked each other.
Manáfaisen ham.	We (3+) asked each other.

Now let’s practice with the other verbs, in the basic form shown above:

Chamorro	English
Manákuentos hit.	We (3+) talked to each other
Manásangåni siha.	They (3+) told each other
Manákantåyi hamyo.	You (3+) sang to each other
Manáprumeti ham.	We (3+) promised each other

The women asked each other

In this sentence form, we will indicate the subject with a noun, rather than a pronoun. The noun can be in its plural form (i.e.: palao’an becomes famalao’an) or you can put the word siha after the word (i.e.: taotao becomes taotao siha).

Our basic sentence structure is as follows:

[ Plural Man- + [ á- + Verb] ] + Yu’ Type Pronoun

To start, let’s practice with one verb, áfaisen, and some different nouns:

Chamorro	English
Manáfaisen i famalao’an.	The women asked each other.
Manáfaisen i lalåhi.	The men asked each other.
Manáfaisen i famagu’on.	The children asked each other.
Manáfaisen i mámale’.	The priests asked each other.

Now let’s practice with the other verbs, in the basic form shown above:

Chamorro	English
Manákuentos i taotao siha.	The people talked to each other
Manásangåni i danderu siha.	The musicians told each other
Manákantåyi i manåmko’	The elders sang to each other
Manáprumeti i manhoben	The youth promised each other

You and the women asked each other

In this sentence structure, the subjects will be a yu’ type pronoun and a noun. The noun can either be in its plural form or we can add the word siha after. The sentence structure is:

[ Plural Man- + [ á- + Verb] ] + Yu’ Type Pronoun + Noun (plural)

To start, let’s practice with one verb, áfaisen and the noun famalao’an:

Chamorro	English
Manáfaisen hamyo yan i famalao’an.	You and the women asked each other
Manáfaisen siha yan i famalao’an.	They and the women asked each other
Manáfaisen ham yan i famalao’an.	Me and the women asked each other

Now let’s practice with the other verbs:

Chamorro	English
Manákuentos hamyo yan i lalåhi	You and the men talked to each other
Manásangåni siha yan i famagu’on	They and the children told each other
Manákantåyi ham yan i manåmko’	Me and the elders sang to each other
Manáprumeti hamyo yan i manhoben	You and the youth promised each other

Also, please note that in the translations above, the pronouns can also be interpreted in the plural. For example: Manákantåyi ham yan i manåmko’ can be either “Me and the elders sang to each other” or “We and the elders sang to each other.” It just depends on context.

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Congratulations! You’ve completed this lesson on the reciprocal a- prefix in Chamorro speech attribution. Keep practicing with this structure, and soon recognizing it in speech or using it in your own conversations will become second nature.

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References

Topping, D. M., & Ogo, P. M. (1980). Spoken Chamorro with Grammatical Notes and Glossary (PALI Language Texts―Micronesia) (2nd ed.). University of Hawaii Press.

• Reciprocal grammar notes : pg. 233
• Reciprocal drills: pg. 234-236