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XIII. Tiie Consonant Y 
Y -i. The letter y is the consonant connected with and 1 he equivalent 
of i. It most generally precedes a vowel as índex of the First or 
third person instead of i, e.g. y -ape or i-ape, he returns. It fre- 
qnently follows k as a compound sound ; ky-u or ki-u, horn. In 
some few words the i following k is accented as: kí-ene, not kyé-ne, 
wild pig. Some writers prefer the y for tlie final i, as in Pa-y or 
Pa-i, my fathor ; Kil-ai-y or Kil-ai-i, strangor, foreigner. In any 
case it should be pronounccd with a cortain strength or abruptncss 
as in the English word “ rain-y.” See I, Chap. IX. 
Y-h. The letters y and h in Choroti itself are frequently used as altér- 
nate forms as ahi-ne and ayine, man. See H, Chaps. XI, XII. 
The vowels i and e are likewise, eitlier as altérnate forms or equi- 
val ents, in constant interchange, not only in Choroti itself but 
thronghout the Chaco gronp of langnages, and the principie is of 
the ntmost importance in a comparativo study. It must, how- 
ever, be carefnlly noted that i and e are not necessarily equations, 
some nice distinctions are often made with these letters by the 
Indians, who are rarely guilty of dropping or adding an aspírate. 
Y -io. The letter y is generally singnlar and active, characteristic of the 
man ; the letter w is plural and passive, characteristic of the 
woman, consequently a number of words are in contrast : yen, to 
look ; wen, to see ; yohi, to go for ; woyi, to fetch. As the w is 
excluded from the first person singular, the y taking its place with 
certain nouns, derivatives proceed from both the y and the w : 
i-yit, my blanket a-yohina , I dress (active) 
a-wu, thy blanket a-wuhi, I dress or wrap myself up 
As the ideas of many in number, much in quantity, big in size, etc. 
is one expression, so lightness and heaviness ; thinness and bullí ; 
are likewise contrasted with y and w. 
Yuk, a tree wuk, a liouse wutik, a mountain 
i-Yenthle, one wuj, much, many 
Y-s. The letters y and s are contrasted very markedly in Choroti, the 
y denoting the man, male, and father ; the s indicating the woman, 
female, mother, and child. 
Y, prefix, first person singular of nouns ; third person singular and 
plural of verbs. 
Ya, pronoun, I, my. 
Ya, go, move. 
