40 DAKOTA GRAMMAR, TEXTS, AND ETHNOGRAPHY. 
NOUNS. 
FORMS OF NOUNS. 
§ 60. Dakota nouns, like those of other languages, may be divided into - 
two classes, primitive and derivative. 
§ 61. Primitive nouns are those whose origin can not be deduced from 
any other word; as, maka, earth, peta, fire, pa, head, ista, eye, ate, father, 
ina, mother. 
§ 62. Derivative nouns are those which are formed in various ways 
trom other words, chiefly from verbs, adjectives, and other nouns. The 
principal classes of derivatives are as follows : 
1. Nouns of the instrument are formed from active verbs by prefixing 
‘i;’ as, yumdu, fo plough, iyvumdu, « plough; kasdeéa, to split, iGasdece, a 
wedge ; kahinta, to rake or sweep, iGahiyte, a rake or broom These again are 
frequently compounded with other nouns. (See § 68.) 
2. Nouns of the person or agent are formed from active verbs by pre- 
fixing ‘wa;’ as, ihaygya, to destroy, waihaneve, « destroyer ; yawaste, to bless, 
wayawaste, one who blesses, a blesser. 
3. Many abstract nouns are formed from verbs and adjectives by pre- 
fixing ‘wo;’ as, ihangya, fo destroy, woihangye, destruction ; wayazay, to be 
sick, wowayazay, sickness ; waonsida, merciful, wowaoysida, mercy ; waste, 
good, wowaste, goodness. 
4, Some nouns are formed from verbs and adjectives by prefixing ‘o;’ 
as, wayka, fo lie down, owanka, a floor ; apa, to strike, oape, a stroke ; owa, 
to mark ov write, oowa, @ mark ox letter of the alphabet; sni, cold, as an 
adjective, osni, cold, a noun; maste, hot, omaste, heat. 
5. a. ‘Wiéa,’ prefixed to neuter and intransitive verbs and adjectives 
sometimes forms of them abstract nouns; as, vazay, to be sick, wiéayazay 
and wawiayazay, sickness ; waste, good, wiGawaste, goodness. 
b. It sometimes forms nouns of the agent; as, vasiGa, to speak evil of, 
curse, WiGayasice, @ curser. 
c. Some nouns, by prefixing ‘wiéa’ or its contraction ‘wié,’ have their 
signification limited to the human species; as, wi¢aéante, the diwman heart ; 
wiéanape, the human hand ; wiéoie, haman words ; wiéohay, human actions. 
We also have wiéaatkuku, @ father or one’s father ; wiéahuynku, one’s mother ; 
wiéadinéa, one’s children. 
In like manner ‘ta’ (not the possessive pronoun, but the generic name of ruminat- 
ing animals, and particularly applied to the moose) is prefixed to the names of various 
members of the body, and limits the signification to such animals; as, tacayte, a 
