Understanding the grammar of an oral language such as Tanii is an essential step in order to preserve it in a accurate written form. In this post I have tried my best to introduce one basic point of Tanii grammar in a clear, though non-academic way. This point - the Imperative mood - has already been addressed by scholars, both Taniis and non-Taniis: two "Apatani grammars" have been published (Abraham, 1985, Takhe, 1994), and one linguist (Shingo, 2003) deals with Apatani imperative in one chapter of his PhD thesis. The problem is that...the three authors often disagree. So I decided to enquire by myself with NPR and a couple of Tanii friends. Below are the results of our preliminary conversations. But the discussion is still open, and if as a Tanii speaker you find that any correction or addition should be made, please feel free to drop your comment. In particular there may be some dialectical variations of which I am unaware.

The imperative is a mood which is used to express commands, requests or prohibitions. The Tanii imperative is formed by adding a suffix to a verb root.

1. Command

• a) The most common imperative suffix in Tanii is -to.

• d) Immediate imperative is formed by adding the suffix -ku (perfective aspect marker) to the imperative form.

• e) When the command affects or benefits to the speaker, the verbal root is suffixed by -pe instead of -to.
• 
  
  Mo mi tasan soye mi bito !
  
  Give one necklace to him !
  
  
  
  Ngii mi tasan soye mi bipe !
  
  Give me one necklace !

• Abraham (1985 : 102) argues that if the speaker (or the place of action) is remote from the addressee, -yupe is used in place of -pe. Our own data does not confirm this. At least in Bulla speech, to request someone to give something located in a place remote from the speaker (or to send it) is expressed by adding the suffixes -tula, -tupe, or -liipe to the verb root.
  

• Negative imperative, or prohibitive mood, is formed by adding -yo to the verb root :

• Suggesting an action to be done collectivley alongwith the addressee is formed with the suffix -sa :
  

• It's a little more complicated matter here. The permissive imperative (used to signal permission) is formed :
  

• a) When the permission is given to the addressee, with the suffix -ngetiika. The negative form is -lakema.

• No lungetiika
  You can speak (you are allowed to speak)
  
  
  
  No lulakema
  
  You cannot speak (you are not permitted to speak)

• b) When the permission is given to a third person, with the suffix -kenento (or -kenanto or -kiinento depending on the dialect spoken). The negative form is obtained by replacing -to with -yo (=> -kenenyo)
• 
  
• Mo mi lukenento
  
  Let him speak

• Mo mi lukenenyo
  Don't let him speak

• c) When the permission is sought for the speaker, -pe takes the place of -to, => -kenempe (the transformation of n into m before p letter corresponds to the actual pronounciation which is nasalized before m, b, p letters, as in English).
• 
  
• Ngii mi (iche) inkenempe
• (Please) let me go
  

• - Abraham, P. T., 1985, Apatani grammar, Mysore, Central Institute of Indian Languages.
• - Takhe K., 1994, The Apatani Grammar, Itanagar, Frontier Publisher & Distributor.
• - Shingo I., 2003, Spatial deixis, PhD thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the State University of New York for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Linguistics
  
• PB