289 



rivative. The latter are formed from every part of 

 speech by certain invariable rules, as from tue^ earth, 

 comes tuetUy terrestrial ; from qiiimen, to know, 

 quimchi, wise ; and these, by the interposition of the 

 particle no^ become negative, as tuenotu^ not terres- 

 trial ; quimnochi, ignorant. Although these adjec- 

 tives have all different terminations, they are, never- 

 theless, like the English adjectives, unsusceptible of 

 number or of gender. The same is the case with 

 the participles and the derivative pronouns, from 

 whence it may be said that the Chilian possesses but 

 one gender. Whether this defect is real or only ap- 

 parent, it is well compensated by the advantage 

 which the language possesses of rendering any one 

 secure against the commission of a grammatical er- 

 ror, either in writing or in speaking, as whenever it 

 becomes necessary to distinguish the sexes, the word 

 alca is used to denote the masculine, and domo the 

 feminine gender. 



The comparative is formed, as inmost of the living 

 languages, by prefixing to the positive the particle 

 jod or doi, signifying more, and to the superlatives 

 the adverbs cad or mu, as doichu^ more limpid ; mu- 

 liu^ most limpid. The Chilian v^ant the diminu- 

 tives and augmentatives, but these, as in the Frcnchj 

 are supplied by the adjective pichi^ little, and buta^ 

 great. Diminutives are also formed by changing a 

 letter of a harsh sound for one more harmonious, as 

 ^ votun^ son ; vochiun^ little son. The primitive pro- 

 nouns arc, inche, I ; eimi, you ; teye^ which, &c. 

 The relatives are, iTwy^ who ; chem^ what ; ta or ga^ 

 Vol. il O o 



