ACCENTS. d 



nakaes, indeed, etc. These may possibly be forms of contraction, but we have not 

 now the means of showing the fact. 



CHAPTER III. 



ACCENTS. 



Place of Accent. 



§ 4. 1. In the Dakota language all the syllables are enunciated plainly and fully ; 

 but every word that is not a monosyllable, has in it one or more accented syllables, 

 which, as a general thing, are easily distinguished from such as are not accented. 

 The importance of observing the accent is seen in the fact that the meaning of a 

 word often depends upon it ; as, maga, afield, maga, a goose ; okiya, to aid, okiya, 

 to speak to. 



2. More than two thirds, perhaps three fourths, of all Dakota words of two or 

 more syllables, have their principal accent on the secoiid syllable from the beginning, 

 as will be seen by a reference to the Dictionary ; the greater part of the remaining 

 words have it on the first. 



3. a. In polysyllabic words there is usually a secondary accent, which falls on the 

 second syllable after the primary one ; as, tewoskantiiya, in a desert place ; i6iy6- 

 peya, to barter. 



h. But if the word be compounded of two nouns, or a noun and a verb, each will 

 retain its own accent, whether they fall two degrees apart or not ; as, aguyapi- 

 i6apai}, {wheat-heater^ a fiail ; inmu-sl'iqka, {cat-dog) a domestic cat ; aki6ita- 

 ndziq, to stand guard. 



Removal of Accent. 



§ 5. 1. Suffixes do not appear to have any effect upon the accent; but a syllable 

 prefixed or inserted before the accented syfiable draws the accent back, so that it 

 still retains the same position with respect to the beginning of the word ; as, nape, 

 hand, minape, my hand ; baksa, to cut off with a knife, bawaksa, / cut off ; mdaska, 

 fiat, ^aqmdaska, boards ; maga, afield, mitamaga, my field. 



When the accent is on the first syllable of the word the prefixing of a syllable does not always remove 

 it ; as, noge, the ear, man6ge, my car. 



2. The same is true of any number of syfiables prefixed ; as, kaska, to bind, 

 wakaska, / bind, wi6awakaska, / hiyid them. 



3. a. If the verb be accented on the second syllable, and pronouns be inserted 

 after it, they do not affect the primary accent ; as, wa^tedaka, to love, wastewadaka, 

 / love something. 



b. But if the verb be accented on the first syllable, the introduction of a pronoun 

 removes the accent to the second syllable, as, mani, to walk, mawani, / walk. 



In some cases, however, the accent is not removed ; as, ohi, to reach to, 6wahi, I reach. 



4. When ' wa ' is prefixed to a word commencing with a vowel, and an elision 



