Sometimes from two nouns taken together, often with a change in the first or last letter, there is formed a third noun, which is quasi-descriptive (_quasi connotativus_), almost like an adjective or noun with a {118} genitive; e.g., from _qi_ 'wood' and _fotoqe_ 'idol' there results _qibotoqe_ 'wooden idol,' with the _f_ changed to _p_ [_b_]. But if the prefixed noun ends in _e_, this _e_ is changed to _a_ in the attributive of the compound; e.g., _tçumasaqi_ 'the tip of the nail,' _canacugui_ 'iron nails.' A word which is placed second in these compounds may change its first letter; if it is _f_ it becomes _b_ or _p_, if it is _s_ it becomes _z_, if it is _c_ it becomes _g_, if it is _tç_ it becomes _zz_, if it is _x_ it becomes _j_; e.g., _caribune_, _buppô_, (13 _nigorizaqe_, _soragoto_, _qizzumari_, and _sorajeimon_. See the dictionary. _Pronouns_ In the Japanese language there are no derivative pronouns, such as _meus,a,um_, etc.; but the primitive pronouns, such as _mei_, _tui_, etc., are used. These primitive forms do not have declensions for case, but rather use the particles which are common to both nouns and pronouns. Certain particles (about which we will speak later) when added to a word indicate honor and thereby form a pronoun or substitute for it in such circumstances as pronouns would normally be used. Thus, if I say _von fumi_, when speaking to someone else, it is immediately understood that I am speaking about his letter and not mine; for if I were speaking about mine I would not say _von fumi_ but only _fumi_, since the particle _von_, which indicates honor, signifies 'your letter.' This is also true for such particles as _mi_ which also attributes honor to the noun to which it is joined. _First Person Pronouns--Ego, etc._[63] There are eight particles which signify 'I, mine, to me, etc.' They are _vatacuxi_, _soregaxi_, _vare_, _mi_, _varera_, _midomo_, _midomora_, _vare_.[64] The first four indicate a degree of superiority on the part of those who use them. The others are more humble. Women use three other particles _mizzucara_, _varava_, and _vagami_ which are not used by men. The people in the countryside use two others, _vara_ [_vora_] and _vorara_, while priests {119} when speaking of themselves use _gusô_, that is to say 'I, a worthless man of the cloth,' and old men when speaking of themselves use _guró_, 'I, a worthless and despicable old man.' The king (_rex_) says _chin_ or _maru_ which means 'I, the King.' (14 To form the plural of these pronouns the pluralizing particles _domo_ or _ra_ are added; e.g., _midomo ga maitta toqi_ 'when we went.' To indicate the difference between the cases, the endings about which we have spoken are suffixed. _Second Person Pronouns--Tu, tui, tibi, etc._[65]