MASON, TEPECANO, A PIMAN LANGUAGE OF MEXICO 353 



Normal n — Iterative s 



Many verb stems which end in ->/ are not subject to reduplication. 

 When it is desired to give such stems an iterative significance, which 

 in the examples noted is exclusively continuative, the -n is changed 

 to -s. It is possible that both -n and -s are verbal suffixes, but 

 under ordinary conditions -// appears to be a part of the verbal stem. 41 



ci.ir'rin saddle it! ani.u'rrs* I am shelving it 



anituma'hina I will shoot anituma'his 1 am shooting 



cimci'tas open it ! ni'cita-s I am opening it 



cihai'n chip it! aniha'hic 1 am breaking it 



anihi'a ix I am buried anihi'a-is I am burying it 



natuhi'woina to bewitch avi.inhi'vois he is bewitching me 



antihu'run I crossed it anihn'rircin I am crossing it 



a'nituviw I am chewing anivi'siu> I am chewing 



antiko'hinit I made him walk nitoko'hi's I am trampling 



Singular in — Plural g 



In several instances defective verb stems apparently ending in 

 -tin for a singular subject change this to -ig when referring to a 

 plural subject. This is doubtless a cognate process to that obtaining 

 between the suffixes -iin and -//.• (p. 364) but in this case the verbal 

 ending appears to be considered an integral part of the verb stem. il 



anta.i-'bwim I am tired atita'.ibwiG we are tired 



vicma-'im he is drunk micma*'i<; they are drunk 



ticgampopba"i-m he drowned ho'gamti'ba'i-G they drowned 



Formation of the Preterit Stem 



The verbal stem is found in bare unmodified form in the present 

 tense. As such it frequently stands final in the complex but equally 

 often is accompanied by verbal suffixes. From this stem is derived 

 the preterit stem form which invariably stands final in the complex 

 and is invariably accompanied by the preterit sign -t- . It expresses 

 therefore bare past time without other qualifications; the other 



* ' In Lower Pima (Smith op. cil.) verbs ending in -ana form their plural in -asa and 

 those ending in -aina their plural in -aisa as vanisana, vanisasa, desgarrar. 



* l This phenomenon must be cognate with Lower Pima. Here (Smith, op. cif.), -mil 

 is the sign of the singular desiderative, -coho of the plural, being the stems of tin- 

 respective singular and plural verbs "die", and meaning "to be dying for." 



