díní-

Etymology
. Probably the combination of various lexical or aspectual and  prefixes of disparate meanings ("oral", "noise", "color", "legs", inceptive, static, neuter...). The high tone is an especially striking feature of this prefix complex.

It seems that the two prefixes and  when combined together are prone to receiving a high tone, in a fashion similar to. Compare:
 * imperfective "I sit down"/ future  "I will sit down", where the  prefix of the future mode in contact with the lexical  prefix triggers a high tone.
 * imperfective "I drive them into it" / imperfective  "I start to drive them along", where the inceptive  triggers a high tone.

Young (2000) analyses as a prolongative prefix complex, composed of inceptive  and terminative. He also proposes that the complex may originally derive from di- + (directive) in neuter perfective verbs (see below).

Prefix
(position VIa-c)


 * 1) slope, slant

(position VIa)


 * 1) relates to arms and legs
 * 2) mouth, oral, noise

(position VIc)


 * 1) maintaining static

Conjugation
When the high tone is triggered, díní- requires a si-perfective, while low-tone dini- keeps a yi-perfective.

There are two active and two neuter paradigms, of disparate origins:
 * The two active paradigms are totally regular, showing the expected contracted forms of ni- plus the si-perfective endings, except in the 2sg person of the second paradigm (-nííní- instead of -níní-, reminiscent of a yi-perfective prefix).
 * The two neuter paradigms seem very irregular and should probably be better analyzed as ni-imperfectives in the 1st and 2nd persons, and si-perfectives in the 3rd, with a dí- and díí- prefix respectively.

Derived terms
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