INDIAN TRIBES OF THE MISSOURI VALLEY. 257 
CHAPTER IV. 
REMARKS UPON THE GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE OF THE BLACKFOOT LANGUAGE. 
J. Parts oF SPEECH. 
1. Tux parts of speech are the noun, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, inter- 
jection, pronoun, and verb. Of all these, the verb is the most complex, and the most 
important. 
Il. Nouns. 
2. No change is made in the termination of a noun to indicate its case: this ig known 
by its position in the sentence. In nouns indicating possession, the name of the possessor 
usually comes first ; as, mus-dp-ski’-o-yis, a muskrat’s lodge. 
3. Nouns have two numbers, singular and plural, which are shown by difference of ter- 
mination. In the Blackfoot language all nouns, with few exceptions, have variable but 
distinct terminations, indicating the plural number, and a portion possess two plural end- 
ings; as, pd’-ksa-cis, a hammer; plural, po’-ksa-ciks; second form, po’-ksa-¢i-sa/-wa, the word 
a-ku’-a-wa, meaning “a good many,” being incorporated into the noun. Examples: 
SINGULAR. PLURAL. 
1st form. 2d form. 
Spring, mu-tu’, mu-tu’-is¢é,* mu-tu’-a-wa. 
Summer, ni-pu’, ni-pu -isé, "_ ni-pu’-a-wa. 
Autumn, mu-ku’, mu-ku’-isé, mu-ku’-a-wa. 
Winter, stu’-yi, stu’-yisé. 
Star, ko-ka/-tos, ko-ka-to’-siks. 
Antelope, a-wa’-kos, a-wa-ko’-siks. 
Tongue, ma-tsi-ne’, ma-tsi-ne’-iks, ma-tsi-ne’-a-wa. 
4, So far as I have yet observed, gender is distinguished by the use of different names - 
to} fo) 3 
as, stum’-ik, a buffalo bull; ski-ni’, a cow; pu-no-ka/-mi-ta, a horse; ski/-am, a mare, 
Ill. ADJECTIVES. 
5. Adjectives usually follow the nouns which they describe ; as, mis'-tis-dhi’-o-tdk, petri- 
fied wood. But to this rule there are an unusual number of exceptions in the Blackfoot 
language ; as, pi-wah’-o, bad lands, from pi/-wa, rough, rugged, and ali’-o, land; ba-kap’-sa-ko- 
ma’-pi, a lazy boy. 
6. Adjectives have the same numbers as nouns (see Remark 8) ; as, 
* Last syllable pronounced as istch. 
