18 DAKOTA GRAMMAR [Memoirs Rational 



L > OL, A A 111, 



cv verbs 

 —spa a thin sheet is dented 



-spa something soft, easy to break, like dough, clay, is broken 

 *spq' (snow) is wet; spq' s'e dark complexioned 

 *spq it is "burnt" by heat or cold (cooked meat, frozen limbs) 

 (-)/ipq' it is soaked 



(-) swu' it is in fine parts (sand, pebbles) 

 -spu flat parts are coming off from a surface 

 -hpu it is knocked off (pitch, scabs, etc.) 

 hpuhpu' dandruff, scabs 

 'o'smaka hollow (-ka rather) 

 {-)sma deep (as snow, water, weeds) 



-smi to be trimmed off (trees of branches, meat from bones) 

 smismi s'e it is as though it were bare 

 *sla' it is greasy, oily 

 (-)sla' it is bare, sleek 



—hlaya it has a layer removed; nahla'ya to peel of its own accord 



(-)sH' water or a thin liquid is in the state of being squeezed out; sli'-h\g.la sound of a distant high- 

 pitched clap 

 (-)sW thick, semiliquid matter is in the state of being squeezed out; sliye'la sound of trickling water 

 (-)hli it is muddy material; hlihli'la mud 

 'oslo'hq it is in a sliding condition; 'osdo'hq to slide (S) 

 'osdo'kahq it comes off S; 'oslo'kahq it slips out of position 

 waste' good 



walite'sni bad (lit. not good) 

 'i'sko as big as it 



'i'skola as small as it (-la diminutive) 



(-)sku a tightly adhering skin (apple) is peeling off; skum.na' it smells musty 

 (-)sfcu' kernels of ripe corn are in the state of coming off; skum.na' it smells fermented, sour 

 yus'e' it drips involuntarily, as urine 

 (-)sV drops are dripping 

 h'eh'e' little pieces are dangling down, ragged 

 ze'zeya dangling (adv.); yuze' to fish out of a liquid 

 'ap'a' zezeya right on the edge, almost toppling over (adv.) 

 ge'geya dangling as a bundle (adv.); kage to draw together in a heap 

 zi' it is yellow 

 zi' it is tawny 

 gi' it is brown 



(-)b.laska' flat and hard (board, stone) 

 *b.laska' flat and flabby 



'%z\tka musk bag (referring to its round form) 

 '%z{' z\tka rose (referring to its many round fruits in masses) 



When petting children it is customary to pronounce instead of s and z, the corresponding s 

 and z, but with half-closed teeth. 



§ 21. Relations Between Vowels 



The vowels e and vary. At present several words are used by some people with e, by others 

 with 0. 



tHyo'pa and t'iye'pa doorway; — 'ot'i'wota and 'ot'i'weia abandoned campsite; — b.loia' hi{ka and b.lote'huka 

 war chief (mdota'huka and mdeta h%ka, S); — k'ekto' paw\ge and k'okto'paivige one thousand. 



In other cases there is a variation in meaning. 



go' pa to snore, ge'pa to pant (generally adverbial gepye'la, but also ge'pahq continuative) ; — -k'oga to 

 scrape off a surface layer, -k'ega to scratch without injuring surface; — {-)k'o'za to be hard and firm, 

 like soil stamped down, closely woven, smooth fabrics, -k'eza to be even with, flush ('i'yak'esyela 

 kasla' he has a close haircut) ; — (-)hlo'ka to have a hole, -hleca to be torn 



In other words the relation of meanings is not so evident (-)sko'pa to be bent in a gentle 

 curve, kaske'pa to sweep out wetness with a wide, sweeping movement. 



