492 



The animate forms, in these examples, will be recognized as 

 exhibiting a further extension of the rule, mentioned in the pre- 

 ceding Inquiry, by which substantives are formed from the in- 

 dicative of the verb by a permutation of the vowels ; and these 

 forms are likewise rendered plural in the manner there mentioned. 

 They also undergo changes to indicate the various persons. For 

 instance, onisliisha is thus declined to mark the person : — 



Wanishish-eyaun, I (am) good or fair. 



Wauishisli-eyun, Thou (art) good or fair. 



Wiinishish-id, He (is) good or fair. 



Wilnishish-eyaung, We (are) good or fair, (ex.) 



Wanishish-eyung, We (are) good or fair, (in.) 



Wanishish-eyaig, Ye (are) good or fair. 



Wiinishish-idjig, They (are) good or fair. 



The inanimate forms, being without person, are simply ren- 

 dered plural by wi, changing maislavaug to maisJciucmg-iii, &c. &c. 

 The verbal signification which these forms assume, as indicated 

 in the words am, art, is, are, is to be sought in the permutative 

 change of the first syllable. Thus, o is changed to u% muh to 

 mixk^ ivaub to loy-auh, ozau to wdzau, misJc to maisJc, &;c. The pro- 

 noun, as is usual in the double compounds, is formed wholly by 

 the inflections eyaun, eyun, &c. 



The strong tendency of the adjective to assume a personal or 

 pronomico-substantive form, leads to the employment of many 

 words in a particular or exclusive sense ; and, in any future prac- 

 tical attempts with the language, it will be found greatly to facili- 

 tate its acquisition, if the adjectives are arranged in distinct classes, 

 separated by this characteristic principle of their application. 

 The examples we have given are chiefly those which may be 

 considered strictly animate or inanimate, admit of double forms, 

 and are of general use. Many of the examples recorded in the 

 original manuscripts employed in these inquiries, are of a more 

 concrete character, and, at the same time, a more limited use. 

 Thus, shaugiueive is a weak person ; nokaugumme, a weak drink ; 



