MASON, TEPECAXO, A PIMAN LANGUAGE OF MEXICO 333 



The natural inference here is that the suffix is either -ig or -gi. ' 

 In the first hypothesis, it would dominate over the reappearing final 

 stem vowel (which as we have seen, is most frequently a), and 

 change by metathesis to -gi- when followed by the possessive -d. 

 In the second hypothesis, it would appear as normal before posses- 

 sive -d but change by metathesis to -ig when in final position. 

 But either theory is further disturbed by the fact that in a number, 

 though a minority of cases, g appears with a vowel other than i. 

 In many of these cases this phenomenon may be explained as a 

 predominance of the stem vowel over the suffix vowel. Thus 



A fuller knowledge of Pima roots would doubtless elucidate these 

 apparent inconsistencies. 



Occasionally an unexplained intrusive element is found in con- 

 nection with this suffix. 



ta - 'ri 

 to'vua 

 ka-'via 34 



uncle 

 hen 



horse 



ta tansgiD 



tovuatgiD 



ka''viatg'w 



his unclfs 



his hen 



his horse (Sp. caballo) 



* 3 Rinaldini {op. cit.) gives this suffix as -ga and says that it must be used in certain 

 relations such as junugade. his corn; baeigade, his beans. 



3 * In native text, words or parts of words in italics are of Spanish derivation. 



