There are a very few elements in Plains Cree which are typically classed as indeclinable particles (IPC), but which nevertheless do take minimal inflectional marking for number, appearing in singular and plural forms. Most if not all of these are interactive interjections which thus are directed at a singular or plural addressee, much as imperative verbs or vocative nouns. Little can be said about these “inflected particles” other than to list the very few examples which have thus far been recorded in their singular and plural forms:

(1)

“Inflected Particles”

singular plural

English translation

āstam

āstamik ~ āstamitik “come here”

awas

awasitik “go away”

ēkwa

ēkwatik

“all right then, let’s go”

niyā niyāk

“go on, get on with it”

awahē awahēk

“be careful”

 

A couple of these examples (i.e. niyāk, awahēk) do indeed seem to add the VAI imperative suffix -k to indicate a plural addressee, while others (i.e.  awasitik, ēkwatik) instead appear to add the vocative plural -(i)tik, but one example (i.e. āstam) even appears to allow both patterns.  These particles differ from both verbs and nouns, however, in lacking all other inflectional forms.