NEUTER AND ADJECTIVE VERBS. 31 
Impersonal Forms. 
§ 53. Active verbs are frequently used impersonally in the plural 
number and take the objective pronouns to indicate the person or persons 
acted upon, in which case they may be commonly translated by the Eng- 
lish passive ; as, kaskapi, (they-bound-him) he is bound ; niéaskapi, (they-bound- 
thee) thou art bound; makaskapi, (they bound me) I am bound ; wiéakaskapi, 
(they bound them) they are bound. 
Neuter and Adjective Verbs. 
§ 54. Neuter and adjective verbs seem likewise to be used impersonally 
and are varied by means of the same pronouns; as, ta, dies or he dies or he 
is dead, uita, thee-dead or thou art dead, mata, me-dead or I die or am dead, 
tapi, they die or are dead; possessive form, kita, dead to, as, ate makita, father 
to me dead; waste, good, niwaste, thee-good, thou art good, mawaste, me-qood, 
I am good, wywastepi, we are good. 
It is suggested by Prof. A. W. Williamson that the so-called objective 
pronouns in these cases are used as datives and that they find analogy in our 
English forms methinks, meseems.’ A further careful consideration of these 
Dakota article pronouns and the manner in which they are used leads to 
the conclusion that these were the original forms, as fragments of ‘miye’ 
and ‘niye.’ In the progress of the language it was found convenient, and 
even necessary, for the active transitive verbs to have other forms, as, ‘wa’ 
and ‘ya,’ to be used solely as subjective pronominal particles.2 Whence 
they were obtained is not manifest. But as children, in their first efforts to 
speak English, are found disposed invariably to use the objective for the 
subjective, as, me want, me cold, me sick, me good, ete., it would be natural 
that where the necessity of changing does not exist the original forms should 
be retained as subjectives. The form for the first person plural has been 
retained both as subjective and objective. Many of this class of verbs are 
best translated as passives. 
It appears practically convenient to include these verbs and a few 
others which are varied in a similar manner in one group, to which we will 
to possessive or dative verbs in ‘ki,’ as kita, makita. Compare the use of the Latin sum: Est mihi 
liber. But niwaste, mawaste, unwastepi, nita, mata, untapi cannot be said to convey a dative idea. 
The cognate languages show that these are pure objectives.—J. O. D. 
2? How about md (bd, bl) and d (1), mentioned in § 18, 7?—J, O. D. 
