30 ETYMOLOGY. 



CHAPTER III. 



NOUNS. 

 FORMS OF NOUNS. 



§ 60. Dakota nouns, like those of other languages, may be divided into two 

 classes, primitive and derivative. 



§ 61. Primitive nouns are those whose origin cannot be deduced from any other 

 word ; as, maka, earth, peta,^re, pa, head, ista, eye, ate, father, ina, mother. 



§ 62. Derivative nouns are those which are formed in various ways from other 

 words, chiefly from verbs, adjectives, and other nouns. The principal classes of 

 derivatives are as follows : 



1. Nouns of the instrument are formed from active verbs by prefixing 'i;' as, 

 yumdu, to plough, iyumdu, a plough ; kasdeda, to split, i6asdc6e, a wedge ; kahiqta, 

 to rake or sweep, i6ahiqte, a rake or broom. These again are frequently com- 

 pounded with other nouns. See § 68. 



2. Nouns of the person or agent are formed from active verbs by prefixing ' wa ;' 

 as, ihaqgya, to destroy, waihaqgye, a destroyer ; yawaste, to bless, wayawaste, one 

 who blesses, a blesser. 



3. Many abstract nouns are formed from verbs and adjectives by prefixing ' wo ;' 

 as, ihaqgya, /o destroy, woihaxigye, destruction ; wayazar), to be sick, wowayazar), 

 sickness ; waoq^ida, merciful, wowaoq^ida, mercy ; waste, good, wowaste, goodness. 



4. Some nouns are formed from verbs and adjectives by prefixing ' o ;' as, Avaqka, 

 to lie down, owaqka, ajloor; apa, to strike, oape, a stroke ; owa, to mark or write, 

 oowa, a mark or letter of the alphabet ; sni, cold, as an adjective, osni, cold, a noun ; 

 maste, hot, oma^te, heat. 



5. a. ' Wi6a,' prefixed to neuter and intransitive verbs and adjectives, sometimes 

 forms of them abstract nouns ; as, yazaq, to be sick, wi6ayazar) and wawidayazai), 

 sickness ; waste, good, wi6awa^te, goodness. 



b. It sometimes forms nouns of the agent ; as, yasi6a, to speak evil of, curse, 

 widayasi6e, a curser. 



c. Some nouns, by prefixing ' wi6a ' or its contraction ' wi6,' have their significa- 

 tion limited to the human species ; as, wi6a6aqte, the human heart ; widanape, the 

 human hand; widoie, human words; widoliaq, human actions. We also have 

 widaatkuku, a father or one's father ; widahuqku, one's mother; widadiqda, one's 

 children. 



In like manner ' ta ' (not the possessive pronoun, but the generic name of ruminating animals, and 

 particularly applied to the moose) is prefixed to the names of various members of the body, and limits the 

 signification to such animals ; as, tacaqte, a buffalo or deei's heart ; tapa, a deer's head ; tacezi, o buffaloes 

 tongue ; taha, a deer's skin ; tac'esdi, the ' hois de vache ' of the prairie. 



When to such nouns is prefixed ' wa ' (from wahai)ksic'a, a bear), their signification is limited to the 

 bear species ; as, wapa, a bear''s head ; waha, a bear's skin ; wa^uij, a bear's den. 



In like manner, ' ho,' from hogai), a fish, prefixed to a few nouns, limits their signification to that 

 genus ; as, hoape, _/?«A-_/fras ; hoa^ke, the bunch on the head of a fish. 



