1889.] Analysis of the Cherokee Language. 779 
In the same way, go-, (I-thee); goke-, (they-me); ake-, (he-me) ; 
tso-, (I-you); etso-, (we-you); gowane-, (they-them); and some 
In view of such an array of pronominal forms, and knowing 
there is more to come, the learner is apt to faint with discourage- 
ment ; but when he takes into the account the fewness of the 
original forms, together with the unvarying rhythm that marks 
the formation of the derived forms, it will be sensibly felt that it 
is no more of a task to master the Cherokee pronoun, than the 
same part of speech in Latin, or even English." 
In reference to Cherokee lexicography, Prof Duncan further 
remarks : 
" In order that a word may be defined, it is necessary that it 
should be identified ; yet it is a singular fact that no Cherokee 
can recognize the words of his own language (with small excep- 
tion), even when seen in print or heard in conversation ; though 
he may actually wield them with the tongue of an orator, or the 
pen of a poet. The cause of this is the fact that the Indian mind 
is trained to deal, not with single ideas, but with thoughts, or at 
least with groups of ideas. The Cherokee is not aware that his 
language can afford any word for hand; it is always Aquayime 
(my hand) ; that is, the idea of hand is always attended, in ex- 
pression, with a conception of the one to whom it belongs. Now 
if we should resolve this word, and assign to each idea its respec- 
tive part, it would stand thus : Aqjtd ayanc (my hand). Yet if 
these words should pass under the eye of a Cherokee who was 
not skilled in the science of his language, he would doubtless fail 
to recognize them, and be apt to repudiate them as something 
foreign to his native vocabulary. 
While what we have here said is largely true in reference to 
the nouns, it is much more so as to the verb. The Cherokee 
never expresses the idea of an action, except in connection with 
that of the actor, and often of the person acted upon. And the 
adjective, in expressing a quality, seldom loses sight of the object 
to which it belongs. 
Hence the first and most arduous part of the Cherokee lexico- 
grapher's w^ork is to identify the words to be defined. Let it be 
