1886.] 54 J [Brinton. 



purest type. They are closely allied, the same roots appearing 

 in both with slight phonetic variations. 



In both of them the ordinary words for love and friendship 

 are derived from the same monosyllabic root, aak. On this, ac- 

 cording to the inflectional laws of the dialects, are built up the 

 terms for the love of man to woman, a lover, love in the abstract, 

 a friend, friendship, and the like. It is also occasionally used 

 by the missionaries tor the love of man to God and of God to 

 man.* 



In the Chipeway this root has but one form, sagi; but in Cree 

 it has two, a weak and a strong form, salci and sakk. The mean- 

 ing of the latter is more particularly to fasten to, to attach to. 

 From it are derived the words for string or cord, the verbs, " to 

 tie," "to fasten," etc.; and also some of the coarsest words to 

 express the sexual relation. f Both these roots are traced back 

 to the priraa^ element of the AlgonUin language expressed by 

 the letters sak or s — k. This conveys the generic notion of force 

 or power exerted by one over another, | and is apparently pre- 

 cisely identical with the fundamental meaning of the Latin 

 afficio, " to affect one in some manner by active agenc3',"§ from 

 which word, I need hardly add, were derived affectus and affectio 

 and our "affection;" thus we at once meet with an absolute par- 

 allelism in the working of the Aryan Italic and the American 

 Algonkin mind. 



The Cree has several words which are confined to parental 

 and filial love and to that which the gods have for men. These 

 are built up on the dissyllabic radical espi or aspi, which is an 

 instrumental particle signifying "by means of, with the aid of." || 

 Toward the gods, such words refer to those v;ho aid us ; toward 

 children those whom their parents aid ; and from children toward 

 parents, again those from whom aid is received. 



*Chipewa: ninsagiiwe, I love; iagiiweivin, love; saiagiiwed, a lover. 



Cree: s&kihituwin, friendship; manilowi s&kihewewin, the love of God. The 

 words from the Chipeway are from Baraga's Otchipwe Dictionary ; those from, 

 the Cree from Lacombe's Dictionnaire de la tongue des Oris, except when other- 

 wise noted. 



t Chipeway : sagibidjigan, a string or cord. 



Cree: sakkappitew, he fastens, he ties; sakkahigan, a nail; sakkistiwok, coeunt, 

 copulati sunt. 



J See Joseph Howse, Grammar of the Cree Language, p. 165. 



JSSee the remarks in Andrews' Latin Lexicon, s. v. 



|| Cree: espiteyimit kije-manilo, lor the love of God ; espUeyimalijk, for the love of 

 the children. 



