550 PHILOLOGY. 



WITH THE GENITIVE. 



Singular. Plural. 



1st person, inim wash minim icashih 



2d person, imim awash imam athwashih 



3d person, ipnim ush immam aushih 



These forms of the verb are so definite that often it is not necessary to use the pronoun, 

 and in conversation it is frequently omitted. For instance, if I ask whose a thing is which 

 belongs to the people, the answer will be " aushih," the plural form of the verb implying 

 possession, (meaning, " it is theirs.") 



45. The active intransitive has one form to agree with the nominative, and another to 

 agree with the genitive, the same as the neuter. For instance, a Sahaptin will say, Ipnim 

 miahs atnuhna, instead of ipnim mialis hitnuhna, his child died. 



46. The active transitive verb presents a much more striking peculiarity. This is 

 always capable of taking an accusative after it, but perhaps as frequently takes a nomi- 

 native after it as its object as an accusative. When a person performs an action for him- 

 self, the object of the verb is usually in the nominative, and is preceded by a nominative 

 expressed or implied in all cases.* The form of the verb, too, is different from that when 

 followed by an accusative. If one speaks of an action which is performed, without any 

 intimation for whom it is performed, the verb takes an accusative after it, in which case, 

 if it be in the third person it takes a genitive before it instead of a nominative. When the 

 verb takes an accusative after it, the verb is varied throughout its whole declension, 

 according to the number and person of the accusative. Hence there are six variations of 

 the verb according to the number and person of its object. [These variations arc what 

 are now termed by grammarians transitions, a word first employed by the Spanish 

 missionaries, and introduced into general use by Mr. Duponceau.] 



47. If an action is performed for another, the verb, instead of being varied in declen- 

 sion to denote it, assumes a new groundform, or is thrown into another conjugation, whose 

 declension is very similar to that of the simple form, and equally full. This form governs 

 two cases, the accusative of a person and nominative of a thing. Hakisa is the simple 

 form, and hahnansha or liahnaisha, according to the dialect, is the form signifying the 

 performance of the action for another. 



To this may be added two other conjugations derived immediately from the preceding, 

 the one signifying the going to perform an action at a distance, and the other the going 

 to perform an action for another, as haktasa, to go to see any thing at a distance, and 

 Jiahnantasa (or hahnaitasa), to go to see for another. 



These are all declined, in general, like the simple form, with some few differences in 

 some of the modes and tenses. 



48. As yet no passive form of the verb has been discovered, and we are led to con- 

 clude that it does not exist. The verbal adjective or participle ending in in, which is 

 frequently used with the verb of existence, has rather the signification of a mere adjective, 

 or of the present participle in English, than of the past participle which forms the passive 

 in our language. It may, however, in some cases, have a passive signification. An 



* This sentence is rather obscure, and it is to be regretted that no example is given in the grammar to 

 illustrate the peculiarity in question. 



