708 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



§ 26. Composition of Suffixes 



Examples of the extent to which these various suffixes can be 

 combined are shown in the following: 



wile'-no-ye-tsdi-huss-TYia-pem one who shall be unable to be 



always running about 

 Tmn-wo-tso-no-we-bis-dom continuing to carry over 

 wo-Jiop-mit-hudoi-to-we-bisim kept almost inserting long thing into 

 lap-no-ye-we-his-ko-tsoia continued to sit about 



§ 27. COMPOSITION OF STEMS 



Stems may be combined into compound verbs with considerable 



freedom. Such compounds may consist of single stems, or of stems 



with affixes. This method of treatment of prefixes in compounds 



increases the impression of independence of these elements, which is 



conveyed by the occurrence of many of them as independent stems. 



so-hufn-hok-tsoia he jumped at it to seize it in his arms {so- action 



done with arms [§11 no. 8]; liun- to capture [?]; hok to seize; 



-tsoia it is said [§ 18 no. 34]) 



do'n-wi-kap-pin-tsoia she dragged toward in her mouth (don 



to seize or hold in mouth ; wi- action done by force [§ 13 no. 171 ; 



leap to move with friction; -pi{n] [§ 17 no. 10]; -tsoia it is said 



[§ 18 no. 341) 



§ 28. Number 



Ideas of number are luiequally developed in Maidu. In nouns, the 

 exact expression of number seems to have been felt as a minor need; 

 whereas, in the case of pronominal forms, number is clearly and 

 accurately expressed. In the degree to which the expression of num- 

 ber in nouns is carried, the dialects differ. In the northeastern 

 dialect here presented it is less marked than in the northwestern. 

 Not only are true plurals rare in nouns, but distributives also seem 

 to have been but little used. Where these forms occur, they are 

 formed by reduplication or duplication, with the addition of a suffix 

 (see § 21); as, 



seu'seuto each, every river (se'wi river) 

 Tiobo'hoto every house, or camp Qioho' house) 

 ya'Tnanmanto every mountain 

 tsa'tsato every tree (tsa tree) 



Distributives appear not to be used in ordinary conversation to any 

 extent, and are rare in the texts. The above are practically all the 

 forms that have been noted. 

 §§26-28 



