BOAS] HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN INDIAN LANGUAGES 109 



§ 23. Verbs as JVbiuis 



Many verbs in the third person present of the active or passive 

 voice are used as nouns. Examples of the active voice so used are: 



nanya it comes down (rain) 

 nillin it flows (a creek) 

 nundll they come down (snow) 



For the passive voice the following may be cited: 



willoi^ it has been tied (a bundle) 



naxowilloi^ it is tied around him (a belt) 



Lenmoilla they have been laid together (a fire) 



talkait over the water it has been pushed (a fishing-board) 



Sometimes a substantive is formed by a verb with a noun preceding 

 it as its object or limit of motion: for example: 



nax-kekos-naduwHl two its necks waving about {mix two: he 



its; hos neck; waL to strike [a monster]) 

 sa^xauw in the mouth a liquid is put (acorn-soup) 



Adverbial prefixes of place, instrument, accompaniment, and manner 

 make substantives of verbs. Of this sort are the following: 



mihtcdLwul with he chops (an axe) 

 hiLnadil with them they travel (wolves) 



Sufiixes of location added to verbs, furnish names of places: 



ncmatuLdin stepping-down place (the name of the place in the 

 sweat-house at the foot of the ladder) 



§ 24. PUiral of Nouns 



Only a few Hupa nouns change their form to indicate the plural. 

 They are those which classify human beings according to their sex and 

 state of life, and a few terms of relationship. The following are all 

 that have been found: 



^25. I*ossession 



Possession is indicated by prefixes which are shortened forms of 

 pronouns. These vary according to the person and number of the 



§§23-25 



