1016 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



plural form, maUHt, was introduced. The /■ that came to be between 

 vowels changed to g, and maligit lost the vowel of its central syllable 

 when the stress was drawn back to the first sjdlable. malglt became 

 maLLit in Greenland, the Ig (or lx%) being assimilated into one sound. 

 In the same manner I think most of the geminated consonants in plu- 

 rals have originated from the final syllable of the singular, the terminal 

 consonant {q or Ti) of this syllable having been retained in the plural. 

 In mm, M', ll, etc., then, two different consonants appear assimilated 

 in accordance with the phonetic laws of the language, but each of them 

 maintaining its existence in the lengthening (gemination) of the sound. 



§23. ABSOLUTIVE AND RELATIVE 



The relative case, or />-case, of nouns is formed by adding p or icp 

 to the same stem of the noun as that from which the plural is formed. 

 In most instances, in forming this case, the plural sign t is. simply 

 replaced by p. 



By the addition of the />. tlie a-stems take the ending -ap ; the 

 o-stems -up; the ^-stems, -?p; e g., 



Absolutive Relative 



amaq woman arnap of the woman 



nuna land nunap of the land 



ayakkoq shaman aycikknj) of the shaman 



ihLO house ihLup of the house 



taleq arm tcbLLip of the arm 



isse ['ise\ or \^i'se\ eye issip of the eye 



-ip is added after those words that end in t in the absolutive (cf. 

 §18.3): e.g., 



Absolutive Relative 



ayut man, male ayvtip of the man 



-up is the relative ending of all the nouns of the series nos. 4, 5, 6, 

 7, 8, 20, 21, 22, 23, 21, 30 (§§ 18-21): 6. g., 



Absolutive Relative 



erneq son emerup of the son 



inul' man inoop of man ( < hni-up) 



iseTFtk entrance iserFiup of the entrance 



nunayaluaq former land nunayaloop of the former land 



ludeq floor iiarqup of the floor 



tupeq tent t<F<ppip of tlie tent 

 §23 



