Appendia G. 269 
The long acute vowel sounds, such as 00 and ee, also the letter 1, 
are pronounced too liquidly and subtilely to be easily imitated by a 
stranger, and in some words the inflections of the vowels are in- 
conceivably complex and mellifluous. The general euphony or cadence 
of the language is sprightly and cheerful; if the subject be of a 
complaining nature, it subsides into a strange chaunt, the sentences 
being linked together by such see-saw sounds, as ‘‘né-do na-do enété 
na-do” which have no meaning, bnt serve to connect together the 
speaker’s ideas. 
When two or more words come together, the former ending, and 
the latter beginning with similar vowels, they are joined by ellipsis. 
as “ Hola’lé seniéna,” instead of “‘ Hola allé seniéna,” we went yesterday. 
ARTICLE. 
There is none, (properly speaking), definite or indefinite. 
Noun. 
There is no distinction of genders, marked or influenced by ter- 
mination, it being determined by the sense or meaning of the word, 
whether referring to a male or female being. Besides man and woman, 
* names of rela- 
“erril” and “‘éra,” boy and girl, “koa” and “ kodee,’ 
tions, and those of a few domestic animals, all other nouns are 
distinguished in their gender by prefixing “‘ Sandee” male, or “ Enga”’ 
Jemale, as in Persian or English ew ),? ew Wolo» he-bear, she-bear. 
A noun has three numbers, singular, dual, and plural, as in Greek. 
The nouns can scarcely be said to have declension, as the terminal 
does not vary either according to number or case, although a dis- 
tinguishing adjunct, which may be called a ‘ Pronoun article,’ from 
its nature and use, is added. 
Singular. Dual. Plural. 
Nom. Séta, a dog. Seta king, two dogs. Séta ko, dogs. 
Gen. Seta-4, of a dog. Seta kingya, of two dogs. Seta koa, of dogs. 
Ab. Seta-té, from a dog. Seta king té, from two dogs. Seta ko té, from 
dogs. 
The dative, accusative, and vocative cases do not differ from the 
nominative, being only known from their position in a sentence. 
In composition, the noun in an accusative case takes the first place 
in the sentence, if the nominative be a pronoun; otherwise the noun- 
nominative precedes, the accusative follows, and the oblique or dative 
case comes immediately before the verb, sometimes immediately after 
