PHONOLOGY. 229 



b, p into mb, mp. This process was discussed uuder the heading: 

 "Alternation of Sounds," and examples from the Dictionary will 

 be found there to illustrate it more fully. Instances where no 

 alternation takes place are sliempeta to atyue, for shep^ta; shik^mba 

 to walk on a stick, for shikapa (radix: kap in tk4p). 



B. — Dropping of phonetic elements from the word. 



All the causes that are productive of decay will also operate in favor 

 of sound-removals, ns : fast and indistinct pronunciation, shifting of the 

 accent, etc. Elisions of all sorts are especially frequent. 



Elision, or removal of a phonetic element within the word, is frequent 

 in all languages. In Klamath it is chiefly brouglit about by the tendency 

 to bring vowels into close contact with vowels, even identical ones, and 

 consonants with consonants, whether identical or not; a tendency which 

 causes elimination of intervening sounds. Cf Assimilation. The various 

 kinds of elision make a subdivision desirable into syncope, ekthlipsis, and 

 elision of a whole syllable. 



5. Syncope, or elision of a vowel before a consonant. Ex.: 



itkla to collect, gather up, for itkala. 



lulpaltko provided with eyes, for lulpAlatko. 



hunsak, nensak to no purpose, for hundshak, n^nashak. 



tdlshna to look out, for telishna. 



tchkdsh also, too, for tclie'kash. 



k'lekapksh dead, for k'lekapkash ; k'le'ksht for k'ldkasht. 



E-ukshkni Klamath Lake Indian, for E-ukshikni. 



tatamnish traveler, for tatamnuish. 



6. Ekthlipsis, or dropping of a consonant from the midst of a word. 



(a) When standing before one or more consonants. Ex.: 

 shelluashe'mi in the tvar time, for shellualshe'mi, cf 56, 1 and Note. 

 puekampgle to throw out again, for puel;^ampele. 

 ktchiik avlone shell, for ktcha'.k; basis, ktch41;fa. 

 shlatpampeli to return, bring hack, for shlaltpamp6li. 

 shtchuslixapkani; cf Note to 109, (J. 



