IP~Q: Indefiniteness is expressed by a special bound morpheme that usually – but not necessarily – has an etymological relationship to words meaning ‘be’, ‘want’, ‘maybe’, ‘or’ and ‘too’.
IP~N: Independent indefinite pronouns are formed from generic nouns meaning ‘person’ or ‘thing’. The number ‘one’ may be used instead of ‘person’, often with a morpheme expressing indefiniteness.
(1a) qojaɣi jowət?
who come.pst.3sg
’Who has arrived?’ (L. N. K.)
(1b) əj qojaɣi jā jowət.
one who pcl come.pst.3sg
’Someone has arrived.’ (L. N. K.)
(1c) qojaɣi anta jowət.
who pcl come.pst.3sg
’Someone has arrived.’ (L. N. K.)
(1d) məta qo jowət.
what_sort_of man come.pst.3sg
’Someone has arrived.’ (L. N. K.)
(2a) müwəʌi wūj-ən?
what see.pst-2sg
’What have you seen?’ (L. N. K.)
(2b) əj müwəʌi jā wūj-əm.
one what pcl see.pst-1sg
’I have seen something.’ (L. N. K.)
(2c) müwəʌi anta wūj-əm.
what pcl see.pst-1sg
’I have seen something.’
(2d) məta ot mā wūj-əm.
what_kind_of object I see.pst-1sg
’I have seen something.’ (L. N. K.)
(2f) əj mətʌi jā wūj-əm.
one what pcl see.pst-1sg
’I have seen something.’ (L. N. K.)
(3) məšməta kank-ət panč-ət.
some_kind_of berry-pl ripen-pst.3pl
’Some kind of berries have ripened.’ (L. N. K.)
In Surgut Khanty, the bases of the indefinite pronouns are the interrogative pronouns meaning ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘what kind of/what sort of’ (1a, 2a). The structure of indefinite pronouns can be the following:
1. ‘one’ + ‘who/what’ + jā (1b, 2b, 2f)
2. ‘who/what’ + anta (1c, 2c)
3. ‘what kind of/what sort of’ + ‘man’/‘thing’ (1d, 2d)
4. məš + ’what kind of/what sort of’ (3)