310 GRAMMAR OF THE KLAMATH LANGUAGE. 



stina-a to build a house, or willow-lodge. 

 sakd-a to he raw; to eat raw. 



-^g,'a, -"A-, -ga, -ay, -ka, -k. This nominal suffix is formed by the par- 

 ticle ak ^'onlg,just only, but," and in the form -aga by the particles ak a, 

 of the same signification. Words showing this suffix are diminutives, and, 

 although the majority are substantives, a few adjectives and pronouns form 

 diminutives by means of the same suffix. 



1. Substantives in -aga. Substantives form their diminutives either by 

 appending -aga in full or by syncope of the short a of -aga into: -ga, -ka, -g, 

 -k. Nouns composed of two or more syllables and ending in -sh in the 

 subjective case, drop that terminal to assume -aga instead, which then under- 

 goes all the phonetic changes produced by the collision of vocalic and con- 

 sonantal sounds. The diminutive function results from the signification 

 ^^just only'''' of the particle ak: pe'tch foot, petchaga ^^just afoot oidif\ little 

 foot. The language forms no augmentative nouns like Italian, only dimin- 

 utives. In many languages the diminutives assume the signification ot 

 endearment or praise, especially in the terms of relationship; in Klamath 

 nothing of the kind is perceptible, except in the pronouns mentioned below 

 and perhaps in the terms with double diminutive ending. 



ankuaga little stick or tree, from anku stick, tree. 



Idlpaga, h'llpag little eye, from lulp eye. 



kapka small pine tree, from tkap stalk. 



wA'ihiXvia.ga young female (animal), from ndshilo. 



tiildshiag little reed-arrow, from taldshi reed-arrow. 



nt^yaga little bow, from nte-ish, nte'sh how. 



we-aga, we'ka Utile child, from weash offspring. 



awaloka little island, from awaluash island. 



sh;i[)lka sm(dl seed-paddle, from shaplash paddle. 



ru'itak glyccria grass seed, from nut (verb: nuta to crack in the fire). 



kilidshiga little duck, from kilidslu'wasli long-necked duck. 



shikenitgika little pistol, from shikenitgish pistol. 



spukliga little sweat-lodge, from spuklish sudatory. 



