NOUNS. 55 



§ 161. When two nouns are used together, one the subject and the other the 

 object of the same verb, the subject is usually placed first (§ 67) ; as, tataqka peii 

 yutapi, {oxen grass eat) oxen eat grass ; Dakota Padani kig wi6aktepi (Dakota 

 Pawnee the them-killed) the Dakotas killed the Pawnees. 



§ 162. Of two nouns in composition or combination the noun sustaining the 

 relation of possessor always precedes the name of the thing possessed. See § 68. 



Numher. 



§ 163, The principle on which the plural termination is employed is that of 

 placing it as near the end of the sentence as possible. The order in a Dakota 

 sentence is, first the noun, next the adjective, and lastly the verb. Hence, if a noun 

 or pronoun is used alone or has no word following it in the phrase, it may take 

 the plural ending ; if an adjective follows, it is attached to the adjective ; and if a 

 verb is used, it is attached to the verb. 



1. When nouns are used to convey a plural idea, without qualificatives or 

 predicates, they have the plural termination; as, ninapepi, thy hands; hena 

 Dakotapi, those are Dakotas. 



2. When a noun which represents an animate object is to be made plural, and is 

 followed by a qualificative or predicate, the sign of the plural is joined, not to the 

 noun, but to the qualificative or predicate ; as, widasta wastepi, good men ; ko^ka 

 kiq hipi, the young men have arrived ; wi6asta waste kiq hipi, the good men have 

 arrived. 



§ 164. The plural of nouns representing animate objects in the objective case, 

 whether they are governed by active verbs or prepositions, is designated by ' wi6a ' 

 following, which is prefixed to or inserted in the governing word; as, tahiqda 

 wi6aktepi, (deer them-they-kill) they kill deer ; Dakota ewidataqhaq, (Dakota them- 

 frorn) he is from the Dakotas. 



CHAPTER IV. 



ADJECTIVES. 

 Position. 



§ 165. When the adjective is used simply as a qualifying term, it is placed 

 immediately after its noun ; as, wi6a6ta wa^te, good man ; 6aq ^i6a, had wood. 



The adjective ik<5e, common, is placed before the noun which it qualifies, but its derivative ikceka comes 

 after ; as, ikce haijpa and hai)pikceka, common moccasins ; ikce wica^ta, a common man, an Indian. 

 The numeral adjectives, when used with cajj, a day, are placed before ; as, noijpa caq, two days, etc. 



§ 166. When the adjective forms the predicate of a proposition, it is placed after 

 the article, and after the demonstrative pronoun, if either or both are used ; as, 

 wi6asta kiq wa^te, the man is good ; wida^ta kiq he wa^te, that man is good ; 

 taku e6anoq kiq he 6i6a, that which thou didst is bad. 



