A Life on the American Frontiers: Collected Works of Henry Schoolcraft. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

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СКАЧАТЬ e. Ojee, a Fly. Ojeeg, Flies. i. Kosénân, Our father, (in.) Kosenân-ig, Our fathers, (in.) o. Ahmô, a Bee. Ahm-ôg, Bees. u. Ais, a Shell. Ais-ug, Shells.

      Inanimate Plural.

a. Ishkôdai,	Fire.	Ishkôdain,	Fires.
e. Waddôp,	Alder.	Waddôp-een,	Alders.
i. Adetaig,	Fruit.	Adetaig-in,	Fruits.
o. Nôdin,	Wind.	Nôdin-ôn,	Winds.
u. Meen,	Berry,	Meen-un,	Berries.

      Where a noun terminates with a vowel in the singular, the addition of the g, or n, shows at once, both the plural and the gender. In other instances, as in peenai, a partridge—seebi, a river—it requires a consonant to precede the plural vowel, in conformity with a rule previously stated. Thus, peenai, is rendered peenai-wug—and seebi, seebi-wun. Where the noun singular terminates in the broad, instead of the long sound of a, as in ôgimâ, a chief ishpatinâ, a hill, the plural is ogim-ag, ishpatinân. But these are mere modifications of two of the above forms, and are by no means entitled to be considered as additional plurals.

      Comparatively few substantives, are without number. The following may be enumerated.

Missun´,	Fire wood.
Pinggwi,	Ashes.
Méjim,	Food.
Kôn,	Snow.
Mishk´wi,	Blood.
Ukkukkuzhas,	Coals.
Ussáimâ,	Tobacco.
Naigow,	Sand.
Ahioun,	Mist.
Kimmiwun,	Rain.
Ossâkumig,	Moss.
Unitshimin,	Peas.

      Others may be found, and indeed, a few others are known. But it is less an object, in this lecture to pursue exceptions into their minutest ramifications, than to sketch broad rules, applicable, if not to every word, to at least a majority of words in the language.

      There is, however, one exception from the general use of number, so peculiar in itself, that not to point it out, would be an unpardonable remissness, in giving the outlines of a language, in which it is an object, neither to extenuate faults, nor to overrate beauties. This exception consists in the want of number in the third person of the declensions of animate nouns, and the conjugation of animate verbs. Not, that such words are destitute of number, in their simple forms, or when used under circumstances requiring no change of these simple forms—no prefixes and no inflections. But it will be seen, at a glance, how very limited such an application of words must be, in a transpositive language.

      Thus mang and kâg (loon and porcupine) take the plural inflection wug, becoming mang wug and kag wug (loons and porcupines.) So, in their pronominal declension—

My loon	Ni mang	oom
Thy loon	Ki mang	oom
My porcupine	Ni gâg	oom
Thy porcupine	Ki gâg	oom
My loons	Ni mang	oom	ug
Thy loons	Ki mang	oom	ug
My porcupines	Ni gâg	oom	ug
Thy porcupines	Ki gâg	oom	ug

      But his loon, or loons, (o mang oom un) his porcupine or porcupines, (o gâg oom un) are without number. The rule applies equally to the class of words, in which the pronouns are inseparable. Thus, my father and thy father, nôs and kôs, become my fathers and thy fathers, by the numerical inflection ug, forming nôsug and kôsug. But ôsun, his father or fathers is vague, and does not indicate whether there be one father or twenty fathers. The inflection un, merely denotes the object. The rule also applies equally to sentences, in which the noun is governed by, or governs the verb. Whether we say, I saw a bear—ningi wâbumâ mukwah, or a bear saw me—mukwah ningi wâbumig, the noun, itself, undergoes no change, and its number is definite. But ogi wâbum-ân muk-wun, he saw bear, is indefinite, although both the verb and the noun have changed their endings. And if the narrator does not subsequently determine the number, the hearer is either left in doubt, or must resolve it by a question. In fine, the whole acts of the third person are thus rendered questionable. This want of precision, which would seem to be fraught with so much confusion, appears to be obviated in practice, by the employment of adjectives, by numerical inflections in the relative words of the sentence, by the use of the indefinite article, paizhik, or by demonstrative pronouns. Thus, paizhik mukwun ogi wâbumân, conveys with certainty the information—he saw a bear. But in this sentence both the noun and the verb retain the objective inflections, as in the former instances. These inflections are not uniformly un, but sometimes een, as in ogeen, his mother, and sometimes ôn, as in odakeek-ôn, his kettle, in all which instances, however, the number is left indeterminate. It may hence be observed, and it is a remark which we shall presently have occasion to corroborate, that the plural СКАЧАТЬ