148 



[mi'^X'гa\^ [a^Ä'amik]- \ni'iÅ-cr/'il-dq\'^ [кг^^.Чп&тягзик]* 



In other words, every time the tongue had to touch the 

 roof of tlie mouth in order to produce the ^-closure, it not 

 only approached it at a single point, but a larger part of 

 it was always raised in a mechanical manner. At the same 

 time the lips as if with a reflex movement assumed a position 

 which could be taken for a very light labialization. But this 

 mode of articulation, I think, is limited to certain districts or 

 certain individuals. 



When long a is diphthongized in the direction of о or и 

 by a following consonant, there is sometimes an etymological 

 foundation for it as in \suna-*'^'a]^ < suna -{- u^-a, sometimes 

 not, as in [a'''nva]^ which I have occasionally heard instead 

 of the usual [a-m-a]. 



This diphthongizing labialization of a. which would seem 

 to be a very fleeting sound-element, may, however, in several 

 cases, determine the meaning of a word. 



[iia'wdql it is at an end, past lua-"w:)q\ it (the flower) is 



sprouting 

 [агг>а'] the back part of his head [cc"wa-] his blood 

 [qawa-\ its south (sidei [qa-"iva-\ his forehead 



[sawa] a sheep [sa-^wa-] 1) the mould on the 



roof of a Greenlandic house 

 2) strews it with mould. 



It is by means of such labialization that the P' per. sing, 

 and plur. in certain forms are indicated, as in : [а1зга"'кю\ 

 when I used it. [а^эгг"'^гА') I or we who use them. [lÀ'Wfre] in 

 my house. 



This labialization is omitted, however, when there is no 

 special reason for emphasizing the fact that it is the P* person 



^ table-cover, cover of skin ' otherwise ' he doesn't talit * (proper 

 name) ^ what there ! * also, aeain. 



