NORTHWESTERN A M K RICA. 545 



chanjjiut; its meantui:, as, l<t-xhiti>-it-l<iii-tii-ii/-t/-irili-iiii>i-ktiii-iii>i>-u. Here the sliap 

 Drives a causative signification like the Hebrew Iliphil; the which follows it is merely 

 for euphony. The sullix ninin is of the same mode and tense as the preceding, but 

 changes the direction towards the speaker. 



11. As in other laii^uaue-, iheiv are frei|nently words of different signification whose 

 orthography must lie the same. In conversation, however, these word.- are usually dis- 

 tinguished ly a variation in pronunciation perceptible In the ear, hut incnpnhle of being 

 expn^sed by the alphabet. [A more complete alphabet than that adopted by the mis- 

 >innaries, (or one in which the voweU :i and " were employed,) would in many cases 

 enable them to make- the necessarv distinction in the- orthography. See the remarks on 

 the 1 Vocabulary.] 



1U. Few neneric terms ,-nv iniind in the lan^ua^c-, but specific terms are extremely 

 Dtuneroua, 



OF THE PARTS OF SPEECH. 



13. The parts of s|>eech are the noun, adjective, pronoun, and verb, declinable; the 

 adverb, conjunction, and interjection, indeclinable. To these may be added another, 

 which seems to be a distinct part of speech. It is used in connexion with verbs, but has 

 usually some properties of the conjunction. To distinguish it, it will be called the declina- 



'jitiii-titiii. 



14. Properly speaking, there are no prepositions in the language. Prepositions are 

 only siillhes to the nouns, forming a part of the word itself, and perhaps these suffix 

 forms may be more properly termed cases. 



OF THE NOUN. 



15. Nouns are varied for number and case, but seldom for person. There is sometimes 

 a variation for the second person in words designating relationship, as, askap, younger 

 brother, aska, second person, or form of address. This form, however, in many cases, is 

 an entirely different word, as, pisht, father, tola, second person, or form of address. 



10. The numbers are two, singular and plural. The plural is usually formed from the 

 singular by a reduplication of the first syllable; as, pitin, girl, pi. pipitin. 



17. When the noun commences with a vowel, instead of a consonant, the vowel is 

 sometimes doubled ; as, atu-ai, an old woman, pi. aatwai. 



18. To this mode of forming the plural there is an exception of one whole class of 

 words, which in this language is uncommonly full, viz., those expressing the various 

 family relations. In this class the plural is formed by suffixing ma to the singular, as, 

 pika, mother, pi. pikama. When the singular ends in p, this letter is dropped, as, 

 askap, pi. askama. 



19. The gender of nouns is to some extent distinguished, only, however, by a dis- 

 tinct name for each sex, and never by a variation of the same word ; as, hasu-al, boy, 

 pitin, girl; u-aicokia, male elk, taship, female elk. Whenever there are not distinct 

 names for the two sexes, the words hama, male, and aiat, female, are used. 



20. Nouns are declined by a change in their termination, or by suffixing prepositions 

 which become a part of the word itself, changing sometimes the orthography, and fre- 



137 



