289 , 



rivative. The latter are formed from every part of 

 speech by certain invariable rules, as from tue., earth, 

 comes tuetii, terrestrial ; from quimen^ to know, 

 quimchi., wise ; and these, by the interposition of the 

 particle no, become negative, as tuenotu, not terres- 

 trial ; quimnochi, ignorant. Although these adjec- 

 tives have all different terminations, they are, never- 

 theless, like the English adjectives, unsusceptible of 

 number or of gender. The same is the case with 

 the participles and the derivative pronouns, from 

 whence it may be said that the Chilian possesses but 

 one gender. Whether this defect is real or only ap- 

 parent, it is we-11 compensated by the advantage 

 which the language possesses of rendering any one 

 secure against the commission of a grammatical er- 

 ror, either in writing or in speaking, as whenever it 

 becomes necessary to distinguish the sexes, the word 

 alca is used to denote the mascuJine, and domo the 

 feminine gender. 



The comparative is formed, as inmost of the living- 

 languages, by prefixing to the positive the particle 

 jod or dot, signifying more, and to the superlatives 

 the adverbs cad or imi, as doichu, more limpid ; imi- 

 liu, most limpid. The Chilian want the diminu- 

 tives and augmentatives, but these, as in the French, 

 are supplied by the adjective pichi, little, and ôiita, 

 great. Diminutives are also formed by changing a 

 letter of a harsh sound for one more harmonious, as 

 votun, son ; vochiwt, little son. The primitive pro- 

 nouns are, incke, I ; eimi, you ; tei/e, which, &c. 

 The relatives are, iuet/y v/ho ; cheniy what ; ta or ga, 



Vol. II. o o 



