754 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



§ 10. Contraction and Assimilation 



Contraction is a frequent factor in sound-change. Instances will 

 first be shown in the case of compounds where the process works 

 between independent words. The final vowel of a word coalesces 

 with the initial vowel of the next, with results like the following: 



^-\-d becomes a: nl'na.ciHt'^ I in turn (for nl'n^ a'ci^**) 

 °' + d becomes a: naf'k^b'pya'tc} again he came (for nd"lc^ sJ^'pydtd) 

 ^-\-a becomes a: jjyd'wAgsiyd''''^ they came to this place (for pyd'- 

 WA(f ayo^'O; nd'gawa.'kViv'' it is a sandy place (for nd'gaw^ 



'+ a becomes d: ite'p'ohdHd he goes there (for i'tep'^ d'hdtc^); nepa,'- 



ndte^g^ they go to fetch water (for ne'p^ si'ndte^g^) 

 *+i becomes i: ^.4'ciw'^.^ what does he say? (for 1c a' c' \'w°-?); 



I'nipiyd^w'' so it was told of yore (for I'n' ip^ Vyow") 

 '+^ becomes a: nd'wAsJcu^t^ in the center of the fire (for nd'w^ 



A'skut^); dgwA'mdtci^n^ he did not eat it (for dgw^ AmwdtcVn^) 

 *+a becomes d: de'g&pe" and often (for de'g'^ a'pe"); wdtcs^'gwi 



nend'^n the reason why I did not tell thee (for wd't& agwi'- 



nend^n^) 

 * + u becomes u: negutu"kdte''g^ on one of his feet (for ne'gut^ 



u"A:afeV/0; tcl'gepydguHc^ away from the edge of the water (for 



tci'gepyd^g'^ u'tc^) 



The two vowels in contact may assimilate into a diphthong: 



"' + a becomes Ai: ne'cilcAiyo''''' alone here (for ne'ciTc'^ &'yo^) 

 The result of the assimilation of two vowels may produce a sound 

 different from either: 



« + a becomes d: pyd'nutAwitSi'y^ if he should come to me here 



(for pyd'nutawiH^ dJyo^) 

 *' + a becomes a." mA'tAci'Tcitc'^i'y^h.e. might overtake me here (for 



mA'tAcikVtc^ a''?/o'0 



Contraction between contiguous words is usually in the nature of 

 the first sound suffering loss either by absorption or substitution. 

 In much the same way does contraction act between members that 

 make up a word-group. But in an attempt to illustrate the process 

 there is an element of uncertainty, which lies in the difficulty of 

 accounting for the absolute form of each component ; for many mem- 

 bers of a composition seldom have an independent use outside of the 

 group. They occur in composition only, and in such way as to 

 adjust themselves for easy euphony, and in doing so often conceal 

 § 10 



