688 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



Nomina I Compos it ion 



Composition, in the case of nouns, occurs in its simplest form in 

 the formation of compound nouns. Where the initial component 

 ends in a vowel, a connective is usually employed. This connective 

 is always m (changing to n before Tc or w; see § 4). As a nominal 

 suffix, this m indicates syntactic relationship. With nouns which 

 do not end in a vowel, the compound is formed by the mere juxta- 

 position of the two words. Composition is further used with nouns 

 to express diminutives, superlatives, collectives, privatives, etc., 

 all of which are indicated by unchangeable suffixes added to the 

 nominal stem. The most important use of composition in the noun 

 is, however, its use in indicating local and instrumental, as well as 

 syntactic relations. These locative and instrumental ideas are 

 expressed by suffixes added to the nominal stem (§ 30). Syntactic 

 relations are also expressed by suffixes, there being a subjective 

 and a possessive case-ending. Finally, composition is employed, 

 although in a very small number of cases, to indicate ideas of num- 

 ber, a few animate nouns taking suffixes which indicate duality or 

 plurality. 



Verbal Composition 



In verbal composition there are three elements to be considered — 

 the stem, the prefix, and the suffix. In Maidu there are two classes 

 of stems. In the first class, which includes all but a few out of the 

 total number, the stem is wholly independent and is always used as 

 a stem, never being subordinated to another stem as prefix or suffix. 

 These stems are predominantly of the consonant-vowel-consonant 

 type; and although they normally seem to be, as just stated, entirely 

 independent, some are at times combined with others to form double 

 stems, the double stem taldng the regular prefixes just as if it were 

 simple. The second class, which includes only about a half dozen 

 or so, consists of stems which are sometimes independent and some- 

 times dependent, being subordinated to other stems as prefixes. In 

 the case of these latter stems, we have what might be called co-ordi- 

 nated composition. The true prefixes, on the other hand, are always 

 subordinate to some stem, and never stand alone or as stems. There 

 are but a small number of these prefixes, and they indicate as a rule 

 the agent or instrument of the action, referring chiefly to parts of 



§5 



