MODES OF GRADATION. 521 



Superlatives. For the sentence, "my child is the oklest of these chil- 

 dren", they will say "my child is old; the others are not"; or "my child 

 surpasses the others in age." 



MinuUives are rendered :_ "The elk exceeds the deer in size"; or "the 

 elk is large, the deer is small." All this instead of our "the deer is less in 

 size than the elk." 



The ideas of exceUing over., surpassing, exceeding can be renderea by 

 several verbs differing from each other in their radicals and prefixes accord- 

 ing to the form and number of the subjects and objects compared. For 

 the selection of these, the Dictionary ma}' be consulted. Kshui/i, partic. 

 kshuf;ijitko to surpass (one animate subject), lui;^itko (round subject), uye- 

 %i\ko (tall subjects), wini^i, Mod. vuip^i, partic. winf^itko, Mod. vui;^itko, are 

 the most common terms employed to indicate gradation. When speaking 

 of bodily size or strength, terms designating these qualities are generally 

 omitted, but when objects are compared for other qualities, this quality is 

 added to the verb, generally in the form of an adjective. The objects 

 compared to the subject of the sentence generally appear in the objective 

 case. 



ko'sh muni uye^itk kapka the pitch-pine is taller than the kdpka-pine 



(uy(;%itko literally means "lifted up", "raised"). 

 geku a ku'sh ka-i wini^itk hu'nu this pine tree is smaller than that one; 



lit. "this pine tree not surpassing-is that." 

 ge-u a kitchkani a'puls, mitoks muni my apple is smaller than yours ; 



lit. "mine is small apple, yours-but large." 

 pj'iwash a kedsha aitxamenash ko'l the p('nvash-root groivs to less height 



than ko'l, 148, 7. 

 luf^itko kapiunksani Ink tchipshash the seed of the kdpiimks-plant is 

 larger than that of the tchipash (1-, prefix of lui;(itko, points to the 

 round shape of the seed), 146, 3. 

 1 a n'sh wini^i goii are taller than I; lit. "you surpass me." 

 watch kshuixftk t%a-ushash the horse is larger than the colt; lit. "horse 



is conquering colt." 

 nu a tuma gitk w'mixi mish I have more than yoii; lit. "I much-having 

 exceed you." 



