BOAS] HANDBOOK OP INDIAN LANGUAGES TAKELMA 55 



Grammatical Processes (§§ 26-32) 



§ 26. General JRefnarT^s 



There are four processes emplo^^ed iii Takelma for purposes of 

 grammatical modification and word-formation : affixation (pre-, in-, 

 and sufiixation), reduplication, vocalic change (ablaut), and conso- 

 nant change (consonant ablaut). Pitch-accent is of grammatical 

 importance, but is most probably a product of purely phonetic 

 causes. Of the processes mentioned, suffixation is by far the most 

 important, while the presence of infiixation will have to be allowed or 

 denied according to the definition given of it, 



§ 27, I*re/ixation 



Prefixation is either of the loose polysynthetic type already referred 

 to, or of the more firmly knit inflective type. Loose prefixation is 

 extremely common, nominal objects, instruments, and local ideas of 

 one kind or another finding admittance into the word-complex, as 

 we have seen, in this manner. Examples of such loose prefixation are : 



gwen-^a'l-yowo^ he looked back (gwen- in back; al- is difficult to 

 define, but can perhaps be best described as indicative of action 

 away from one's self, here with clear implication of sight directed 

 outward; yowo'^ he was, can be used as independent word) 



s'in-%-lats!agi'^n I touched his nose {s'in- nose; I- ^^dth hand; 

 latslagi'^n I touched him, as independent word) 



gwenfge^m black necked (gwen- nape, neck; fge^m black) 



The first example shows best the general character of loose prefixa- 

 tion. The prefixed elements gwen-, al-, s'in-, and I- have no separate 

 existence as such, yet in themselves dire^'tly convey, except perhaps 

 al-, a larger, more definitely apperceived, share of meaning than falls 

 to the lot of most purely grammatical elements. In dealing with 

 such elements as these, we are indeed on the borderland between 

 independent word and affix. The contrast between them and gram- 

 matical suffixes comes out strongest in the fact that they may be 

 entirely omitted A^dthout destroying the reality of the rest of the 

 word, while the attempt to extract any of the other elements leaves 

 an unmeaning remainder. At the same time, the first example well 

 illustrates the point that they are not so loosely attached but that 

 they may entirely alter the concrete meaning of the word. Pre- 

 fixation of the inflective type is very rare. There is only one 



§§ 26-27 



