BOAS] HANDBOOK OF AMEEICAN INDIAN LANGUAGES 859 



meddswinegutinesiwitASwd^'kw ^ 



Trie' ddswa"' kwe nd'^kdna ne' gutwa^'lcw^ ^eleven hundred 



ne'gutima'ka^'k'we nd'^kdna ne'gutwd^'kwa] 



The cardinals from one to five terminate with the inanimate end- 

 uing -i. They begin with the consonant n, a symbol that has already 

 been shown to be intimately associated with the hand. The symbol 

 is valuable for the suggestion it throws upon the probable origin of 

 the numeral system. It has some connection, no doubt, with the 

 method of counting with the fingers. Furthermore, it w^U be noticed 

 that within the quinary series (viz., within one and five, inclusive) 

 there are four different vowels standing immediately after n. What 

 part and how much vowel-change may have played in the formation 

 of the system is yet uncertain. 



Negu'twdci^g" , the cardinal for six, contains three elements. 

 The first is negut-, and stands for one. The second is probably an 

 initial stem dc-, and means over, across, movement across. 



d'cow^ over, beyond, an obstruction or expanse 



d'couDi'w^ he wades across a stream 



d'citA^m^ again, in turn, by way of repetition or continuity 



The third element is the ending -g"-; it is a frequent termination for 

 words expressing quantity. It is to be found in all the series that 

 SIX, seven, eight, and nine enter ; and its vowel sometimes lengthens 

 to a when another element is added. 



meddswinegutwdcigd'nesVw^ sixteen 

 But the vowel does not lengthen in negutWAcigAtASWd^'kw^ six 



HUNDRED. 



No'Jiig^, the cardinal for seven, does not yet admit complete 

 analysis. Initial n- and final -g'^ are the only intelligible elements 

 that can be reduced at the present. 



Ne'cwdci^g^, the cardinal for eight, has three parts, as in the case 

 of the cardinal for six. The first is nee-, and stands for three; the 

 second is dc-, and is the same as the one in the word for six; the 

 third is the numeral ending -g"^. 



Cd'g°-, the cardinal for nine, is difficult to analyze. The numeral 

 ending -g'^ is clear, but cd- is doubtful. It is possible that cd- may 

 be the same as cd-, an initial stem conveying the idea of freedom of 

 movement, passage without friction, without obstruction, without 

 impediment. 



§50 



