NOUNS: CASE, POSSESSION. 43 
Case. 
) 67. Dakota nouns may be said to have two principal cases, the siwb- 
jective and objective.’ 
The subjective and objective cases are usually known by the place 
which they occupy in the sentence. When two nouns are used, the one 
the subject and the other the object of the action, the subject is placed 
first, the object next, and the verb last; as, wiéasta way wowapi way kaga 
(man a book a made), a man made a book; Dawid Sopiya wastedaka (David 
Sophia loves), David loves Sophia; Dakota Besdeke wiéaktepi (Dakota Fox- 
Indian them-they-killed), the Dakotas killed the Fox Indians. 
When, from some consideration, it is manifest which must be the nominative, the 
arrangement may be different; as, wiGasta Wakantanka kaga (man God made), God 
made man. 
As this distinction of case is rather syntactical than etymological, see further in 
the Syntax. 
Possession. 
§ 68. The relation of two nouns to each other, as possessor and possessed, 
is sometimes indicated by placing them in juxtaposition, the name of the 
possessor coming first ; as, wahukeza ihupa, spear-handle ; tipi tivopa, house- 
door; wiéasta oie, man’s word. 
Sometimes the first noun suffers contraction; as, mali¢incéa, « gosling, for maga 
cinéa (goose child); maliiyumdu, a plough, for maga iyumdu ( field-plough); maliicéa- 
hinte, a rake, for maga idahiyte (field-rake). 
) 69. But the relation is pointed out more definitely by adding to the 
last term a possessive pronoun, either separate or incorporated. 
1. Sometimes the. pronouns ‘tawa’ and ‘tawapi’ are used after the 
second noun; as, tatayka woyute tawa (buffalo food his), buffalo’s food ; 
woyute Suktanka tawapi (food horse theirs), horses’ food; wiéastayatapi tipi 
tawa (chief house his), the chief’s house. 
2. (a) But generally the possessive pronouns are prefixed to the name 
of the thing possessed; as, tatanka tawote (buffalo is-food), bufialo’s food ; 
Dawid taanpetu (David his-day), the days of David. 
Sometimes ‘ti’ is prefixed instead of ‘ta;’ as, wanhiykpe, an arrow; Dawid 
tiwanhinkpe, David's arrov. 
Nouns commencing with ‘i’ or ‘0’ prefix ‘t’ only; as, ipahiy, a pillow; Hake 
tipahin, Hake’s pillow; owinza, a bed; Hake towinze, Hake’s bed. 
Abstract nouns which commence with ‘wo’ drop the ‘w’ and prefix ‘t;’ as, wo- 
waste, goodness; Wakantanka towaste, God’s goodness. (See § 23, 2. b.) 
‘A. L. Riggs thinks a better arrangement would include the genitive case with the subjective and 
objective. The rule of position would then be: A noun in the genitive case qualifying another noun is 
placed before the noun it qualifies. See § 68. ; 
