ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 383 



VERBS. 



The verb is inflected by means of affixes and auxiliary verbs. The aorist is formed 

 by prefixing the particle Ie, le, or Ic. Sometimes the first syllable of the verb stem 

 is also reduplicated. The perfect is a compound of particles and auxiliary verbs 

 le . . . WB-tl-liai . . . The simple future is formed by suffixing the particle tea of 

 Ua. The particle Ie is also sometimes used in a future as well as in a past tense. 

 This seeming double and contradictory usage is due to the fact that in the Salish 

 tongues tense distinctions, as we understand them in English or the classic languages, 

 are totally unknown. Speaking strictly, there is no ' time " to any Salish verb. In 

 contemplating an action the 'place' only, never the 'time,' is considered. The 

 action or state in the native mind is always ' present ' or ' absent,' ' here ' or ' there,' 

 never ' now ' and ' then.' 



This is the reason why we find the same particle marking the 'past' in one 

 dialect and the ' future ' in another. Each is equally ' absent ' or ' there,' the context 

 making it clear which ' there ' is intended, a ' past ' or a ' future ' one. This is a 

 very interesting feature of the Salish verb and explains very simply how we or wk can 

 be applied both to a past and a future action or state without confusion. It is of 

 interest to note that the Halkome'lEm dialects only, apparently, use this particle in 

 its double sense. Several of the interior dialects confine its usage to the ' future ' 

 alone, while the Skqo'mic and some other Coast tongues employ it strictly to mark 

 ' past ' actions and states. This particle is primarily an adverb of location signifying 

 ' there.' It is the same particle which appears so often in the Salish dialects as the 

 sign of the third person ' absent.' The reason is obvious. 



Ka'kai, sick. 

 Present Tense. 



f Ka'kai-tcil, I am sick. , t^ n • ^ -^ ■ i 



Ql„.„l.r Ka'kai-tcuq, thou art sick. p, , j ^i\^'^!\^«*' ^^ ^^'^ ^ick. 

 Singular ^^,^^^ ^^ /^_ j^^ j^ ^.^^ Plural Ka kai^tcap, you are sick, 



[ Ka'kai sU la, she is sick. ^ ^'^ ^^^ y^^^' ^^^y are sick. 



AORlST. 



{le-tl-tcil-ka'kai, I was sick, 

 le-tl-tciiq-ka'kai, thou wert sick. 

 le-tl-ka'kai (tEsix'), he was sick, 

 le-tl-ka'kai (sEsJi'), she was sick, 

 rie-tl-tcit-ka'kai, we were sick. 

 Plural < le-tl-tcap-ka'kai, you were sick. 



tle-tl-ka'kai (yBsii'), they were sick. 



A second aorist or indefinite past is also used, the difference in meaning betweeb 

 which and the former is not perfectly clear to me.' Thus : — 



Ka'kai-e-tl-tcil, I was sick. Ka'kai-e-tl-tcit, we were sick. 



The other persons follow in like manner. 



Present Perfect Continuous and Responsive Forms. 



e-tcil-ka'kai, I have been and am sick ; e-tcit-ka'kai, we have been and are sick. 

 The other persons follow regularly in like manner. 



Future Tense. 



Ka'kai-tci -tea, I shall be sick. Ka'kai-tcit-tca, we shall be sick. 



Ka'kai-tcuq-tca, thou wilt be sick. Ka'kai'tcap-tca, you will be sick. 



Ka'kai-tca (tE sa), he will be sick. Ka'kai'tca (yE sil'), they will be sick. 

 Ka'kai-tca (sB sa'), she will be sick. 



' Since this was written I have studied the Kwa'ntlEn verb. The difference there 

 is due to the time of the state or action ; one form is used of recent events, the others 

 of more remote. See the Kwa'ntlEn verb below. 



