BOAS] HANDBOOK OF INDIAN LANGUAGES COOS 383 



§ 8S» Consonaiitic Changes 



The application of consonantic changes as a means of forming gram- 

 matical processes is a very peculiar phenomenon, characteristic of 

 the Coos language. Its use is confined to a very few instances; and 

 the process, while to all appearances consisting in the hardening 

 of the final consonant, is of such a petrified nature that it is no longer 

 possible to analyze it. It occurs only in a few nouns of relationship, 

 and its significance may be said to be endearing and diminutive. The 

 following examples of consonantic change have been found: 



Icwel^s a young woman 86.1 hwe'ik' a 3''ouug girl 12.2 

 hu^'mis woman 21:. 6 Im^' m%k' old woman (used in the 



same sense as we use our phrase 



MY DEAR OLD WIFE) 58.5 



da' 7ml man 14.7 to'mxL old man 20.2 



dji'ldl young man 22.6 di!loL young boy 60.2 



Syntactic Particles (§§ 86-95) 



§ S6, Introductory 



By syntactic particles is meant here the great number of enclitic 

 and proclitic expletives that are employed in Coos as a means of 

 expressing grammatical categories and syntactic relations. They 

 cover a wide range of ideas, and refer more properly to the whole 

 sentence than to any specific part of it. With the exception of two 

 particles, none of them are capable of composition; that is to say, 

 they can not be used with any suffix or prefix, although two or even 

 three particles may be combined into one. Such combined particles 

 usually retain the functions of each of the component elements. All 

 syntactic particles are freely movable, and may be shifted from one 

 position to another without affecting the sense of the sentence. 



§ 87* Temporal Particles 



1. han ABOUT to. It denotes actions that will take place in the im- 

 mediate future. Its position is freely movable, and it may be 

 placed before or after the verb. 



tso Tian kvyV-lt Ke k'itsimd' mis now he was about to bend the half 



62.29 

 x^all'yat han hs dl'lbl he is about to hug the young man 114.26. 



§§ 85-87 



