578 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



Whenever the a- stands before a vocalic element, its place is taken 

 by n-. The masculine i- precedino; a vowel has consonantic 

 character, and retains, therefore, the a-. In Kathlamet n- 

 is used under the same conditions ; but, besides, a form occurs 

 beginning with i-, which is followed by a -g-. 

 Intransitive, before consonant: 



a-L-E'-k'im it said (a- transitional; l- it; -k-im to say) 

 a-n-o' -tx-uit I began to stand (a- transitional; n- I; -o- directive; 

 -tx to stand; -uit to be in a position) 



Intransitive, before vowel: 



n-e'-k'im he said {n- transitional; e- he; -k'im to say) 

 n-o'-x-o-x they became (n- transitional; o- they; -x reflexive; 

 -0- directive; -x stem to do, to be) 



Transitive : 



a-tcE'-t-a-x he did them (a- transitional; tc- he; t- them; -a- 

 directive; -x stem to do) 



The following examples are taken from the Kathlamet dialect: 

 Intransitive, before consonant: 



i-L-E'-k-im it said; Kathlamet texts 99.4 (analysis as before) 

 i-in-xa-t-k!od-mam you came home ibid, 132.15 {m -thou; -x (a)- 

 reflexive; -t- coming; -Ic.'oa to go home; -{m)am to arrive) 

 Intransitive, before vowel: 



i-g-e'-x-kloaYiewGwi home ibid. 169.6 (-e- he; -x- reflexive) 

 i-g-a-x-k!oa she went home ibid. 191.8 

 Transitive : 



i-g-i-o'-Zicam somebody told \nn\ibid. 169.7 (-ry somebody; i-him; 



-0 directive; -Ixam to tell) 

 i-gs'-t-u-x she acted on them ibid. 217.16 Q/e- she; t- them; -u- 

 chrective; -x to do) 



2. Ill-, This prefix is confined to the dialects east of the Kathlamet. 

 It takes the form 7dg- before vowels, like the preceding. It 

 occurs in transitive and intransitive verbs. It expresses a 

 somewhat indefinite time past, and is used in speaking of 

 events that happened less than a year or so ago, yet more than 

 a couple of days ago. (E. Sapir.) 



ni-tj-u'ya he went (rti- past ; -y- he ; -iiya to go) 



nig-u'ya she went (the same before vocalic element; -a- she, 



being contracted with -u- into -u) 

 ni-tc-i-gil-kEl he saw him {ni- past ; -tc- he ; -i- him ; gil- verbal 

 prefix; -TiEl to see) 

 §17 



