BOAS] HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN INDIAN LANGUAGES 549 



§ 06, Imperative ami Exhortative 



The imperative of inchoative verbs is generally formed with the 

 suffix g-a; that of continuative verbs, with -la. 



da'salg-a dive! 461.23 



The defective forms ge'la come! lia'g-a go! belong here. We find 

 also the double form ge'lag-a come! 



Often the imperative is introduced by a form derived from the 

 interjection we go on! which takes the imperative ending -g-a or (in 

 the future) -g-iL. In other cases the we takes pronominal endings. 

 In constructions with we' g-a, the intransitive verb takes the ending -x. 



we' g-a ^nd'xumdlax go on, cover your face! 185.35 

 we'g-il la gwd'lalaLEX keep ready! 242.28 



wd'sntsos gsn wuid'oL let me ask you ( = you [exhortative] that 

 I ask you) 145.22 



Sometimes Jid'g-a and ge'la are used in the same manner as we'g-a. 



Tid'g-a xwd'nal^idEX go and get ready! 114.28 



Exhortatives are formed with the suffix -x': 



we'x'ins wl'nax K. let us make war on K. 301.25 

 w'e'g'ax'% Id'Jdwemases nd'qa^yos strengthen your mind 13.8 

 gwd'lax'l he'x'^idaEtn o'q.'uses nd'qa^yosaq don't believe your own 

 mind at once 269.3 



Negative imperatives are always introduced by gwd'la don't! 

 which is derived from gwa to cease. 



gwd'la ^nek- don't say so! 144.35 



It is quite likely that the forms in -g-a are related to the demon- 

 strative endings, and that the imperative is less a modal form than 

 an expression of the immediate nearness of action. 



In many cases the imperative idea is expressed by the future, 

 either alone or introduced by we'g-a and gwd'la. The transitive 

 imperative seems to be expressed always by the future. 



The ending -no^ forms a peculiar emphatic imperative : 



gwa^no'^ don't! 462.18 yd' L'.dno^ take care! 



Probably this suffix has the meaning entirely, altogether, and 

 is used as an imperative only secondarily. At least, the forms 

 do'qwano^, g-d'xn¥, were translated to me you see, come! implying 

 that the opposite ideas of not seeing, not coming, are entirely excluded. 



§ 66 



