46 SYNTAX. 



e6amoq kii), (what I-did the) that which I did ; wi6a^ta 6i6aya ohaqyaqpi kir), (men 

 badly do the) the men who do badly ; wi^a^ta si6a si6aya oiaqyaqpi kiq, (men bad 

 badly do the) the bad men who do badly. 



§ 114. The signs of the past tense, 'koq ' and ' 6i^oi),' are used in the place of 

 the definite article, and are rendered by the article and relative ; as, wida^ta 

 waqmdake 6ikoq, the man whom I saw. 



Use. 



§ 115. In general, the definite article in Dakota is used where it would be 

 in English. But it also occurs in many places where in English it is not admissi- 

 ble. 



a. It is used with nouns that denote a class ; as, widasta kiq bosdan na^iqpi, 

 (men the upright stand) men stand upright ; suktaqka kir) duzahaqpi, (horses the swift) 

 horses are swift or run fast. 



h. It is often used, as in Greek, French, etc., with abstract nouns; as, wowa^te kiq, 

 (goodness the) goodness ; woaht^ni kir) awihnuniwi6aya, (sin the destroy s-them) sin 

 destroys them. 



c. It is used with a noun in the vocative case ; as, maka kiq nahoq wo, (earth the 

 hear-thou) O earth, hear ! 



d. As in Greek and Italian, it is used with nouns which are quahfied by posses- 

 sive or demonstrative pronouns; as, ninape kiq, (thy-hand the) thy hand; wida^ta 

 kiq de, (man the this) this man. 



e. It is often used with finite verbs giving to them the force of gerunds or verbal 

 nouns; as, kagapi kiq, the making; mauquipi kiq, (we walk the) our walking; 

 yahi kiq iyomakipi, (thou-come the me-pleases) thy coming pleases me. 



§ 116. In Dakota, the definite article is sometimes omitted where it would be 

 required in English. 



a. Nouns governed by prepositions are generally used without the article ; as, 

 6oqkaske ekta mda, (garrison to I-go) I am going to the garrison ; 6aq mahen wai, 

 (wood into I-went) I went into the woods ; tiqta akan muqka, (prairie upon I-lie) I 

 lie upon the prairie. 



b. Proper names and names of rivers and lakes are commonly used without the 

 article; as, Tataqka-na^iq, (buffalo-stands) The-standing-buffalo ; Wakpa-minisota, 

 the Minnesota river ; Mdeiyedaq, Lac-qui-parle. 



c. When two nouns come together in the relation of possessor and possessed 

 (§ 68), the last only takes the article, or rather the entire expression is rendered 

 definite by a single article placed after it ; as, 6aqpahmihma ihupa kiq, the thill of 

 the cart ; Wasi6uq wi6astayatapi kiq, the King of the French. 



Indefinite Article. 



§ 117. The indefinite article is more limited in its use than the definite, but so 

 far as its use extends it follows the same rules ; as, hoksidaq waq, (boy a) a boy ; 

 hoksidaq waste waq, (boy good a) a good boy. 



§ 118. Sometimes both articles are used in the same phrase, in which case the 



