600 BUREAU OF AMEEICAN" ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



These particles serve to introduce conditional clauses, and are best ren- 

 dered by IF, SINCE. Icu^ nats is rendered by if not (see also § 136). 



tsa'ntai tu'ha 8%'n^xyun ... if you want to buy her . . . 74.8 

 tsa'ntffi si'ii^xyaxahi, Htci hatda'yun since you want her, (go and) 



ask her 74.10, 11 

 yaP-'xa^ kite tEm^wa^' sqa^Tc, ants ha^qd^' ants hanil'Hdl many people 



assembled there, when (if) those whales come ashore 82.21, 22 

 . . . a7its ikwa'Tnyax ants %nq!a'a} when (ice) closed up that river 



78.3 



Whenever the subordinate clause is introduced by the negative Z:u* 

 nats^ the co-ordinate sentence that follows must be preceded b}^ the 

 particle nats. 



Icu^ nats xd'wa'^xaH7iE, H nats tsl'lcfya ml'Tila i,V* if he had not 

 been killed, it would have been a very bad country 29.7, 8 



Tcu^ nats Li'uyax, Hn 7iats na-kwa' yatltl ha'^ if he had not come, I 

 should have been sorry 



nt'ctca, nl'ctca, nlctx. These three forms are undoubtedly 

 etymologically related. Their primary function can not be easily de- 

 fined, owing to the fact that they are used for the purpose of ex- 

 pressing grammatical concepts of a varying character. The most 

 frequent uses made of these particles are those of an interrogative and 

 indefinite pronoun. The function of an interrogative pronoun is 

 chiefly confined to the form n%' ctca when followed by the demon- 

 strative pronoun tE (see § 115), while it serves as an indefinite pronoun 

 whenever it is preceded by the negative particle M*', Tcumi'ntc not. 

 ni'ctca is frequently amplified by means of the modal suffix -Itc (see 

 § 94). 



nl'ctca Ic^ tE cuqwa'an tE ha'Tcwat/ya what may (be the reason that) 



this roast here continually falls down? 90.12 

 nl'ctcanx tanx yoP^'xa^ qatx why do you (this one) cry (so) much? 



94.16, 17 

 7ii'ctcan tEX nictca'wax I doubt whether (we) shall accomplish any- 

 thing 60.9 

 ni'ctcanl tEX xavm'un how can we kill him? 15.7 

 . . . ni'ctca tE ia^ . . . how this one was living 16.2 

 Icu^ ni'ctca n%'ctcut7iE nothing could be done (to stop) him 94.12, 13 

 fcit* ni'ctca qa'tc'^ll not able to get a drink 76.11 

 fcu* ni'ctca la'lcwll lltlaya' she could not get food 96.16, 17 

 nictdh'tc^t(AtEtEni^wa'tam , . , why you have been gathered 30. 17 

 § 131 



