SOME NOTES ON THE SAKAI DIALECTS. 2$ 



The grammar of the language appears to be simple. The 

 following are the principal rules : — 



I. — The nominative precedes the verb it governs. 



II. — The accusative follows the verb which governs it. 



III. — Adjectives and demonstrative pronouns follow the 

 noun they qualify. 



IV. — The cases are formed by the use of prepositions, with 

 the exception of the genitive case, which is formed by placing 

 the possessor immediately after the thing possessed. The 

 idea at, to, towards is rendered by the preposition Ma\ The 

 idea on and from by the preposition Ken. These prepositions 

 (with the additional particle Pa=al, ow) are found to exist in 

 the same or in slightly modified forms in all the dialects of 

 Sakai with which I am acquainted. 



V. — There are no inflections of nouns or conjugation of 

 verbs, but the cases are indicated by the personal pronouns, 

 and the words and tenses by means of the auxiliaries H6t=to 

 wish, to want, and Te-las=to be done, over, done, finished, 

 enough. 



The following sentences will illustrate all the above rules : — 

 (i) Eng cha' cha'-na\ 



1 



eat 



rice. 







I 



3 



3 







(ii) Heh 



te-las 



kuh 



ka' 



jfh. 



i 



3 



3 



4 



5 



He 



has 



killed 



that 



fish. 



1 



3 



3 



s 



4 



iii) Derk n 



e n g 



be 



ma'-chut. 



i 



2 



3 



4 





My 



house 



[is] 



very 



small 



3 



i 





3 



4 



iv) Ok 



i-6dz 



eng 



ma' 



he. 



X 



a 



3 



4 



s 



Give 



my 



chopper 



to 



him. 



T 



3 



a 



4 



s 



