# -TĄ́
## Navajo
### Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *tan ~ *tən (“to handle stick-like objects or vessels”), probably one of the most polysemous root across all Athabascan languages.
Cognate root found in Ahtna deztaan (“(elongated object) is in position”), datiił (“he is counting”), natadghitaan (“water drips down”), hwghitaʼ (“it stops”), tinitaan (“there is a trail”), łtaan (“(enclosed object) is in position”), dełtaan (“(body of water) is in position”), sa dinhwtniłten (“explain to me!”), titahdiniłtaan (“they rushed off in a group”), l+taan (“animate rests”), among many other meanings in the sole Ahtna language.
Occurs in Navajo as momentaneous perfective -TĄ́ or -TĄ́Ą́ʼ, in themes related to the handling of stick-like objects (SSO), to raining, to teaching, to the galloping of a horse, and also acts as the suppletive neuter stem of -BIN (plural S sit).

### Root

-TĄ́
1. to handle a slender stiff object
| Theme | Category | Bases | Transitive bases (O + ł) |
| O + ∅ | motion | S handles SSO yitįįh (∅-MOM) iitįįh yiditįįh yidiitįįh haitįįh neitįįh neidiitįįh (ńdii-, “pick up”) neidíníitįįh (ńdíníi-, “good start”) naʼiidiitįįh (nʼdii-, “detach”) táiditįįh yisdéítįįh yitįįh [shishtįįh] (si-MOM) yítįįh (ni-MOM) chʼíítįįh niyítįįh neitin (CONT) yootį́į́ł (PROG) | |
| ∅ | positional | SSO is in position sitą́ (NEUT) naaztą́ nítą́ | S keeps SSO in position yistą́ (NEUT) |
| hi / di + yíní + ∅ | positional | SSO hangs, dangles or protrudes détą́ hidétą́ chʼíhidétą́ hahíítą́ nahíítą́ | |
| ∅ | positional | it hangs in mid-air (new moon, hummingbird) yiitįįh (TRANS?) | |
2. to rain
| Theme | Category | Bases | Transitive bases (O + ł) |
| ho + ł | motion/operative? | it rains ahałtįįh (MOM) ahoʼniiłtįįh hahałtįįh hahodíníłtįįh (hadíní-, “too much”) hodiłtįįh hodiiłtįįh nihoołtįįh nahałtin (DUR) naałtin (without ho-) hoołtį́į́ł (PROG) | |
| ni + ł | conversive? | it mists, clouds hangs in the air adahoniłtįįh neestin (NEUT) | |
3. to teach; to understand, to guess
| Theme | Category | Bases | Transitive bases (O + ł) |
| ni + ∅/ł | | S teaches neinitin (nani-) ↳ naʼnitin yíneiniłtin (bínabini-) yíneiniłtin (bínani-) ↳ yínaʼniłtin yínoołtį́į́ł (PROG) | |
| di + ∅ | | S understands, guesses yikʼiʼdiitįįh ↳ akʼiʼdiitįįh yééʼdeetįįh (béédiʼni-) ↳ ééʼdeetįįh | |
4. plural S sit
| Theme | Category | Bases | Transitive bases (O + ł) |
| d | positional | plural S sit déestą́ naháaztą́ | |
5. to gallop
| Theme | Category | Bases | Transitive bases (O + ł) |
| ni + l | motion | S gallops — (∅-MOM) aniltįįh díníltįįh (di-) díníiltįįh (dii-) haniltįįh neeltįįh (ni-MOM) chʼíneeltįįh nineeltįįh naniltin (CONT) nooltį́į́ł (PROG) | |

#### Stem set

The stem set of this root shows a great deal of variation and irregular alternations across the various meanings and aspects.
| Aspect | IMP | PERF | FUT | ITER | OPT |
| MOM | -tįįh | -tą́ | -tį́į́ł | -tį́į́h | -tį́į́ł |
See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

#### Synonyms

SSO verbs:
* -TʼEʼ (propel SSO)
* -KĘ́Ę́Z (SSO moves)
* -ʼÁ (SSO extends)
to teach:
* -ʼĄ́Ą́ʼ
to understand:
* -TSʼĄ́Ą́ʼ
to sit:
* -DÁ
* -KÉ
* -BIN
to rain:
* -TSĄ́Ą́ʼ
* -ZHOŁ

#### Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (handle SSO)
Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (rain)
Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (teach)
Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (sit)
Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (gallop)