850 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



The ending -gi to express animate plurality is no doubt the same as 

 the one denoting location, thus suggesting the probability of a com- 

 mon origin. 



§ 43. The Adjective 



The attributive relation is expressed by a form analogous to an 

 inanimate construction, which does not inflect for number or case. 

 There are primary and derived adjectives. The former contains the 

 descriptive notion in the stem; as, Ice'Hci great, tcA'gi small. The 

 derived adjective is one that comes from a noun; as, tyia' neto^w'- (from 

 mA'neto'w^ mystery being), A'ca^ (from A'ca°' a Sioux). Both 

 kinds of inanimate adjectives agree in form and function; they have a 

 singular, inanimate ending, and they occur in an attributive relation. 



Ice'^tci mA'neto^w"' a great mysterious being 

 tcAgi wlgiydpa^ a little dwelling 

 mA'neto^wi a'^ld- a mysterious country 

 A!cahi ne'niw"- a Sioux man 



As has been said, such adjectives do not change their form to agree 

 with nouns for number and case. 



he''tci mA'netd^w''\ O great mystery! 

 mA'netd^wi a'hydn' mysterious lands 

 A'cdhi ne'iiiwA^g'- Sioux men 



By virtue of its position, the adjective of inanimate forms takes 

 on the function of an initial stem, and as such it enters into combi- 

 nations with secondary elements to form — • 



Nouns : 



tcAgi'ndga''^ small bowl 

 me'cimi'n^ apple (literally, large fruit) 

 AS€'nigd\^ stone dwelling 

 Acd'hind^w^ Sioux country 



Verbs : 



tCA'gdJienuhVw^ yl' cdga"' '^ it is a tiny buckskin string 



ne/niw^ me' cindgusVw^ the man looked big (-ndgu- [§ 18] ; -si- [§ 20]) 



Adjectives, when used as predicates, have the form of an intransi- 

 tive verb. The verb is built up on the regular order of stem- 

 formation with the qualifying notion of the combination resting 

 mainly in the initial member. The sens^ of the stem undergoes 

 restriction by other elements, and concord of gender and pronoun 



§43 



