116 



Moods are the following: indicative, subjunctive, substantive, obliga- 

 toiy, and imperative. The participle, sometimes called the infinitive, has 

 all numbers and all persons. Chief tenses are six, present, two past tenses, 

 and three future. 



The degrees of verbs are formed by inserting the words diga, siar/a, 

 &c., as aforesaid. 



Voices are three, active, neuter, and passive. 



The gerund has three tenses, present, past, and future; three persons; 

 three numbers; and two moods, indicative and subjunctive. 



The participle has every tense, three numbers, and all cases; it can 

 both be conjugated and declined. Several adverbs and almost all preposi- 

 tions have numbers. 



In long clauses, the verb is placed at the end. The peculiarities, or 

 rather defects, of this language consist in — 



1. The want of substantive verbs, so that, instead of "reading is use- 

 ful", you must say "he who reads is thereby improved"; and 



2. In the want of abstract nouns, verbs, and adverbs, as, for example, 

 to sandifi/, to reason, to bless, the blessing, reasonably, &c. 



They have no word for "to suffer" and "to forgive". 



The Aleut language contains two chief dialects, Unalashkan and Atkan. 

 The last is divided into two branches. 



' The difference between the Unalashkan and Atkan dialects chiefly con- 

 sists in the different ways of forming the plural of nouns, the first by add- 

 ing ng, the latter by adding s or sh; as, for instance, the Unalashka Aleuts 

 say tanging (islands) and the natives of Atka tangis. 



Diminutive words of the former language terminate in dale; those of 

 the latter lans'ua'xe in JadsJtaJc. 



