Editing Tlingit language (section)

===Pronominals===

Tlingit has a complex system of [[Pronoun|pronominals]], which vary depending on their relationship to the verb. The subject pronominals are incorporated into the verb in its subject slot. The object pronominals are also technically incorporated into the verb (i.e. the verb "complex"), but most are graphically independent. They are divided into three classes, the verbal object, nominal object, and postpositional object. There are also the independent pronominals which are completely separate from the verb and can be used in dependent clauses or in subject or object position.

The pronominals all have related semantic values, and their organization can hence easily be visualized in a table.

:{| class="wikitable"
!rowspan=2|'''Type''' !!rowspan=2| '''Subject''' !!colspan=3| '''Object''' !!rowspan=2| '''Independent'''
|-
!                                   VO    !!  NO  !!  PO
|-
| 1 <small>SINGULAR</small>    || xha-||xhat, axh|| axh  || xha- || xhát
|-
| 1 <small>PLURAL</small>    || too-|| haa     || haa  ||      || uháan
|-
| 2 <small>SINGULAR</small>    || ee- || i-      || i    ||      || wa.é
|-
| 2 <small>PLURAL</small>    || yi- || yee-    || yee  ||      || yeewáan*
|-
| 3 <small>RECESSIVE</small>   ||     || a-, 0-  || a    || a-   ||
|-
| 3 <small>NEUTRAL</small>   || 0-  || a-, 0-  || du   || u-   || hú
|-
| 3 <small>SALIENT</small>   ||     || ash     || ash  ||      ||
|-
| <small>REFLEXIVE</small>   ||     || sh-, 0- || chush||      ||
|-
| <small>RECIPROCAL</small>  ||     || woosh   || woosh||      ||
|-
| <small>INDEFINITE<br />HUMAN</small>   ||du-||khu-, khaa-|| khaa || khu- ||
|-
| <small>INDEFINITE<br />NON HUMAN</small>   ||     || at-     || at   ||      ||
|-
| <small>PARTITIVE</small>   ||     || aa-     ||      ||      ||
|}

The numbers in the first column represent the usual concept of person, i.e. first, second, or third. Story and Naish identified a [[fourth person]], but this term is inappropriate since they did not describe a clear separation between the so-called fourth person and the other impersonal pronominals.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

When analyzing a sentence, the pronominal type is given first, then the form (subject, object, independent) is given following a period. This uniquely represents the pronominal as a two dimensional unit. Thus 1<small>SINGULAR SUBJECT</small> is the first person singular subject pronominal, realized as ''xhat''. The <small>RECIPROCAL</small> does not uniquely identify one of the two reciprocal pronominals, but since they are both phonetically identical as ''woosh'', it is generally unnecessary to uniquely identify them.

There is also a notional zeroth person which can be of subject, object, or independent form. This is not realized in Tlingit, instead it is an empty placeholder for analysis.

====Subject pronominals====

The subject pronominals are all incorporated into the verb. Thus when the subject is represented as a pronominal, the subject position of the sentence is empty.

====Object pronominals====

Object pronominals are divided into three classes, the verbal, nominal, and postpositional.

The verbal object pronominals function similarly to the subject pronominals in that they preclude an explicit object when used.

The nominal object pronominals are similar in some respects to the possessive pronouns of English. They precede a noun and represent the object of the noun, typically implying possession of the noun.

Postpositional object pronominals function as objects to which postpositions are attached. They act as the object of a postposition in a manner similar to an ordinary noun suffixed with a postposition.