boas] handbook of AMERICAN INDIAN LANGUAGES 167 



The most characteristic trait of the verb is the occurrence of a num- 

 ber of prefixes, the significance of which has come to be so weak that 

 they appear rather as formal elements than as clearly distinct cate- 

 gories. It has not been possible to give more than an enumeration 

 of these. They are evidently modal in character and may occur in 

 groups. A few suffixes are common to verbs and nouns. Verbal 

 suffixes are temporal or semi-temporal in character, express finality, 

 or transform verbal expressions into nouns. The Tlingit has a very 

 strong tendency to recapitulate statements by means of demonstra- 

 tives, which are prefixed to nominal and verbal expressions, as 

 well as used with post-positions. 



DISCUSSION OF GRAMMAR (§§ 6-24) 



The Noun (§§ 6-10) 

 § (>. Structure 



Nominal stems are mostly monosyllabic and quite distinct from 

 verbal stems. (See §§ 25, 26.) 



Nouns are corapoiincled by juxtaposition, the qualifying noun pre- 

 ceding the one qualified; as, 



gAga'n-fj.'os sun-feet ( = sun- leql-hludA's red-snapper coat 



beams) qo' sa-xa-qoan man-eater-people 



xdf-s.'ax" root-hat 



Parts of the body, except in composition, are always classified by 

 placing qa man before those belonging to a human being, and the 

 name of the corresponding animal before those belonging to animals; 

 as, 



qadjt'n a human hand qaqlo's a human foot 



qawd'q a human eye tanca' a sea-lion's head 



qagu'h a human ear qowakd'nq.'a a deer's mouth 



Nouns consisting of a theme and post-positions occur; as, 



cl-tf-ka' {cl- behind-on) Sitka. (See § 23, nos. 24, 29.) 



More common are nouns containing a possessive element {-yt or -?) 

 (see § 10): 



gits!'^ qoa'nt sk}^ people sfAtc d'nt Moss Town 



xdt qoa'nt salmon people tan qiAdadjd'yi sea-lion bristles 



yao teyt' herring rock 



§6 



