18T5.I ^^^ [Gabb. 



There are several words wliicli change their form, or which are even 

 substituted by others, according to the sense or connection ; thus u'-te-ldn, 

 sometimes pronounced liu'-te-kin, means out or outside of tlie house or of 

 anything else in all ordinary cases ; but for a person to go out of the 

 house is not mia u'-te-Tcin or mia Tiu'-te-Mn, but mia Im pa'-gl. This pa'-gl 

 is used in no other connection ; and the sound occurs nowhere else in the 

 language except as imgl-cM-ka (sugar) and "pagl, the numeral eight with 

 either of which, it is obviously not related. But the numerals illustrate 

 this most markedly. For instance three is m-nyat, and as such it is used 

 in counting all things ; three houses, Mb m-nyat ; but three men are pe 

 m-nyal and three days are koiig m-nyar. Bit, how many, becomes bil, 

 how many persons, &c. Old, fat, to grow, pregnant, &c., change in a 

 similar manner when applied to animate and inanimate, or to human and 

 lower objects. 



It is remarkable that in a language otherwise so poor, at times it should 

 go to the other extreme. In civilized languages, notably in Spanish, 

 there -is a great variety of words to express the shades of colors of ani- 

 mals, particularly the horse. These words, originally adjectives, are 

 often used as nouns. But in Bri-bri we have eight nouns to distinguish 

 pigs, six of which are for color ; viz. : 



white, mu-l'ush'. 



black, do-losli'. 



gray, bisli'. 



red, mash {a as in far) . 



half-white, half-black. bi-tsus'. 



black, with white face, ku-jos'. 



with throat appendages, bu-lish'. 



short-legged, na'-na (Spanish enana, a dwarf). 



These words are in every sense nouns only, and are just as correctly the 

 names of the respective animals as the generic term "coc7i6." Chickens 

 and dogs have similar distinguishing names, but I have never been able 

 to learn that horned cattle [vaca, whether bull oi cow,) are so honored. 

 Horses are comparatively unknown. The only representative of the 

 race in the country being Mr. Lyon's old yellow mare, there has never 

 arisen the necessity for the additional tax on their inventive powers. 

 Words expressing physical qualities of matter are as abundant as in more 

 civilized languages, and their use is as strictly limited. Hard, strong, or 

 stiff, is de-re' -re. Soft, like a cushion or fi-esh bread, is h-jo'-h jo, while soft 

 like cloth it is a-ni'-a-ni or a-ni'-ni-e. Weak or fragile, like a string, or a 

 vessel, powerless like a weak person, or tender like meat, are to' -to or to- 

 toV . Elastic, like caoutchouc, is ki-tsung' -ki-tsung ; when like a switch, 

 it is kras'-kras. Plastic, like mud or putty, is i-no'-i-no. Pasty, like 

 dough, is i-tu-wo'. When more fluid, like very wet mud, it is a-bas'-a- 

 bas. Viscid, like syrup or honey, is ku-nyo' -ku-nyo ; yrhiie very fluid, 

 waterv, is di-se-re-ri. 



