186 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [YoL. I. 



periphrastic circumlocution takes the place of our superlative, and this is 

 particularly the case among the Eastern Ddnfe. Thus, according to 

 Petitot, to translate : " my mother is the best of mothers," a Chippewayan 

 would be inclined to say : " mothers all anyhow my mother alone is good." 

 The only intrinsically formed superlative is that of the locative and ordina- 

 tive adverbs or adverbial-adjectives. Its distinctive element is the prefix 

 odte, applied to the adverb in its natural state as mte-no\ the most northern ; 

 mte-yo, the lowest ; cete-tis, the nearest (in distance) ; mte-tsd the first (in 

 rank or age); mte-chu, the first (in the succession of time), etc. This 

 genuine superlative is proper to the Carrier dialect. 



A peculiar comparative of similitude obtains through the whole lin- 

 guistic group. But as it is essentially incorporated in the verb, I simply 

 mention the fact in this connection. 



I deem it more relevant to associate with the regular adjectives the 

 demonstrative pronouns which, together with the numerals, have in D^n^ 

 the same material features and follow the same rules as the two genuine 

 adjectives oiju and tsiya. These rules have reference to their place in the 

 sentence, viz : immediately before the noun, and their grammatical accord 

 therewith, to understand which a word of explanation is necessary. 



The broadest division of the substantives grammatically considered 

 and the only one which affects in any way the unconjugatable adjectives 

 and the demonstrative or relative pronouns connected therewith, is that 

 which differentiates the names of human from those of non-human 

 beings. It has for effect to demand the addition to the adjective of an n — 

 from tcene — for the singular, and of the suffix )ie for the plural of adjec- 

 tives relating to human beings. Thus oiju means " another (thing)," 

 ceyiin, " another (person)," myune, "other (persons)." 



The same remark applies — barring what has reference to the plural — 

 to the numeral adjectives. These are quite rich in variety of forms. In 

 Carrier tka means three (things) ; thane, three (persons) ; that, three times ; 

 thatcen, in three places ; tJiauh, in three ways ; thailtoh, all of the three 

 (things); ihaJiceltoJi, all of the three (persons) ; tJiahUtoh, all of tlie three 

 times, (places or things — massive or spacious). Most of the Eastern dia- 

 lects lack all but the three first forms. Neither do they, as a rule, possess 

 the ordinal numbers which are expressed in Carrier by the cardinal ad- 

 jectives preceded by the postpositions (which for the purpose become pre- 

 positions) poel or hivoC, " with it," in this way : />03f tJianceii, " with him 

 three" (persons) or the third ; JnvoC that, " with it three times," or the 

 third time, etc. 



