SIERRA POPOLUCA SPEECH—FOSTER AND FOSTER 35 
22.7. The tensor. <A tensor functions chiefly as 
a verb modifier. The only tensor which has been 
found as a noun modifier is winak long ago, e. g., 
winak pa-sin men of long ago. 
sA?ap nAkpa ?ananh6?k éybak now I am going to wait 
again (sk? ap now) 
?okma hée?m pa‘Sin ptiitpa then the man came out 
(?6kma then) 
The imperfective tensor ?{dak gives special time 
reference to the verb which it modifies. Thus the 
action may be imperfect, habitual, or conditional 
in accordance with the aspect suffix of the modified 
verb. 
When modifying an incompletive verb form the 
action may be either imperfect incompletive, or 
conditional. 
?anst'npa ?idak ta?m anyé‘mo I would like a (my) 
wife (*su'n want, like) 
hé?m ndkpa ?idak he would go (*nak go) 
ho?d fdak miS<?ba where were you going along? (*sa? 
go along) 
When modifying the completive verb or stative 
verb it indicates past habitual or continued action. 
?x6 atid idak I was living, used to live (*?it live) 
?idak k6-i he was sitting (*ko-ii szt) 
Midak iwd?n anyé"mo my wife used to sing (*wa'n sing) 
When modifying verbs with the perfective suffix 
it indicates conditional or continuative perfective 
action. 
hi?d idak mifakné? where have you been going? 
(*nak go + -ne? perf. suf.) 
?Aé andkne? fdak mé?iga ?ana?itné? lugdr I would 
have gone if I had had time 
?AG asinne? fdak I would have liked it (*sun like, 
want) 
?a?itné?0?m fdak Chinaméca mé?iga ?ankk matdk 
I would have already been in Chinameca if I had gone 
yesterday (*?it be) 
22.8. The intensifier. 
as a verb modifier. 
The intensifier functions 
¢im wifiagam mundo the world is now very old (¢am 
very modif. wihagam it is now old st. verb) 
Aga Panydkne? mundo the world has become very sad 
(?4ga very modif. ?anvakné? it has become sad) 
22.9. The demonstrative adjective. The de- 
monstrative adjective functions as a noun or 
cardinal enumerative modifier. 
tammid¢pa pe?m pA‘sin we will catch that man (pe?m 
that modif. pA’Sii man) 
?anandkpa yA?p tukutén I will take these thre (ya?p 
these modif. tukutén three) 
22.10. The article. The article functions in 
the same way as the demonstrative adjective. 
Articles are often omitted entirely; they are gen- 
erally used only when it is desirable to designate a 
thing more specifically. 
?imaténpa ?a?nd?ypa tAk he hears the house open (tak 
[the] house) 
?imaténpa ?a?nd?ypa he? tk he hears the (particular) 
house open (he? tak the house) 
?imaténpa ?a?nd?ypa tim tdk he hears a house open 
(tam tak a house) 
22.11. The demonstrative adverb. The de- 
monstrative adverb functions as a verb modifier; 
with the addition of the particularizing suffix -pak 
it may also be used as a noun modifier. 
ti ?inwatté?’mpa yA?m what are you doing here? (ya?m 
here modif. *wat do) 
?a?niS yA?mpak paA’sin J saw men from here (yaA?m + 
enc. -pak from here modif. pA‘sin man) 
22.12. The participial adverb is a verb modifier. 
Sikimu nak laughing he went (Sikimu laughing modif. 
*nak go) 
?xé poyimu ?asX?ba I go along running (poyimu 
running modif. *sa? go along) 
22.13. The interrogative or relative adjective. 
The interrogative adjective functions as a noun 
modifier. The relative adjective functions as a 
noun modifier introducing a relative clause. 
hip ¢A°Si ?iwAhné? which child has done it? (hup which 
modif. ¢X°Si child) 
?i duy hup ¢4°Si ?iwahné? who knows which child did it 
(hup which intro. rel. clause ¢A°Si ?iwahné? [the] 
child did it) 
22.14. The interrogative or relative adverb. 
The interrogative adverb functions as a verb 
modifier. The relative adverb functions as a 
verb modifier introducing a relative clause. 
nakpa ?i?4?m had?t kimneta: they went to look where 
he had been buried (hu?t where modif. kimneta- he 
had been buried) 
hi?d ft ?imt<k where is your house (hu?t modif. ?it it zs) 
22.15. The quantitative attributive. The quan- 
titative attributive may serve either as a noun or 
verb modifier. 
hu¢a?7 anyéhpa how much will you pay me? (hi¢an 
how much modif. ?anyédhpa you pay me) 
°ff hA?yan yomtam there are many women (hé?yan 
many modif. yo"mtam women) 
nikpa hée?’m hésay hima modhum hAdki ldmar after 
several days the ocean began to recede (hésan several 
modif. h4ma day) 
