The American Indians: Their History, Condition and Prospects, from Original Notes and ManuscriptsSchoolcraft, Henry Rowe
History
The American Indians: Their History, Condition and Prospects, from Original Notes and Manuscripts
Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe
Indians of North America
Yaun, My.
Yun, Thy.
Id, or d, His, or hers.
Yaung, Our. (ex.)
Yung, Our. (in.)
Yaig, Your.
Waud, Their.
These pronouns are exclusively employed as suffixes,--and as suffixes to
the descriptive compound substantives, adjectives and verbs. Both the
rule and examples have been stated under the head of the substantive, p.
43. and adjective, p. 81. Their application to the verb will be shown,
as we proceed.
2. Relative Pronouns. In a language which provides for the distinctions
of person by particles prefixed or suffixed to the verb, it will
scarcely be expected, that separate and independent relative pronouns
should exist, or if such are to be found, their use, as separate parts
of speech, must, it will have been anticipated, be quite
limited--limited to simple interrogatory forms of expression, and not
applicable to the indicative, or declaratory. Such will be found to be
the fact in the language under review; and it will be perceived, from
the subjoined examples, that in all instances, requiring the relative
pronoun _who_, other than the simple interrogatory forms, this relation
is indicated by the inflections of the verb, or adjective, &c. Nor does
there appear to be any declension of the separate pronoun, corresponding
to _whose_, and _whom_.
* * * * *
The word Ahwaynain, may be said to be uniformly employed in the sense of
_who_, under the limitations we have mentioned. For instance.
Who is there? Ahwaynain e-mah ai-aud?
Who spoke? Ahwaynain kau keegoedood?
Who told you? Ahwaynain kau ween dumoak?
Who are you? Ahwaynain iau we yun?
Who sent you? Ahwaynain waynoenik?
Who is your father? Ahwaynain koes?
Who did it? Ahwaynain kau toedung?
Whose dog is it? Ahwaynain way dyid?
Whose pipe is that? Ahwaynain doepwaugunid en-eu?
Whose lodge is it? Ahwaynain way weegewomid?
Whom do you seek? Ahwaynain nain dau wau bumud?
Whom have you here? Ahwaynain oh omau ai auwaud?
Not the slightest variation is made in these phrases, between who,
whose, and whom.
Should we wish to change the interrogative, and to say, he who is there;
he who spoke; he who told you, &c., the separable personal pronoun ween
(he) must be used in lieu of the relative, and the following forms will
be elicited.
Ween, kau unnoenik, He (who) sent you.
Ween, kau geedood, He (who) spoke.
Ween, _ai_-aud e-mah, He (who) is there.
Ween, kau weendumoak, He (who) told you.
Ween, kau toe dung, He (who) did it, &c.
If we object that, that in these forms, there is no longer the relative
pronoun _who_, the sense being simply, he sent you, he spoke, &c., it is
replied that if it be intended only to say, he sent you, &c., and not he
_who_ sent you, &c., the following forms are used.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account