684 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



the north to Sierra valley in the south. It has fewer variants than 

 the other two dialects. This dialect is the one whose grammar is here 

 given. The southern dialect comprises a number of slightly varying 

 subdialects occupying the remainder of the area covered by the stock. 

 In most respects this southern dialect is closer to the northwestern 

 than to the northeastern. 



With the exception of a few general statements in an article on the 

 languages of California/ no account of the grammar of the Maidu has 

 ever been given. Its grammar is, however, of interest, in that it may 

 be taken as to some extent typical of a considerable group of central 

 Californian languages, which in many important particulars are quite 

 different from the majority of American Indian languages. 



PHONETICS (§§2-4) 



§ 2. System of Sounds 



The phonetic system of the Maidu is only moderately extensive. 

 It possesses but one series of ^"-sounds, of which only the Tc is frequent, 

 and is lacking in velars and lateral (J) sounds. The consonant system 

 includes palatals, alveolars, dento-alveolars, labials, and laterals. 

 The sonants and surds are as a rule not very clearly differentiated, and 

 it is sometimes difficult to determine in a given case which is intended. 

 Surds are more common than sonants in the pairs g-k and d-t, g in 

 particular being quite uncommon. Although in most groups of con- 

 sonants there is a sonant, surd, and fortis, yet the fortis is often by no 

 means strongly marked, and is difficult to separate from the surd. 

 The glottal catch is but little used. A peculiar feature of the Maidu is 

 the existence of two weak inspirational sonant stops b and d. The 

 exact method of formation of these sounds is not clear. However, it 

 is certain that inspiration proceeds no further than the soft palate; 

 the peculiar quality of the sound being produced by a "smack" 

 formed by a slight vacuum in the mouth. The b and d occur only as 

 a rule before 6, and the difference between them and the ordinary 

 h and d is, in the case of some speakers and in some words, very 

 slight ; in other words, or in the same words by other and generally 

 older speakers, the difference is strongly marked. The consonant 

 system of the Maidu may be shown in tabular form as follows : 



1 Roland B. Dixon and Alfred L. Kroeber, The Native Languages of California, in American Anthro- 

 pologist, n. s., V, 1-26. 



§2 



