Iroquois Indians; Mohawk language -- Texts; Onondaga language -- Texts
3 and 4. The cislocative, expressing motion towards the speaker, and the
translocative, indicating motion tending from him. The former has _t_,
the latter _ie_ or _ia_, before the verb, as _tasataweiat_, come in;
_iasataweiat_, go in.
5. The duplicative, which prefixes _te_, expresses an action which
affects two or more agents or objects, as in betting, marrying, joining,
separating. Thus, from _ikiaks_, I cut, we have _tekiaks_, I cut in two,
where the prefix _te_ corresponds to the Latin bi in "bisect". The same
form is used in speaking of acts done by those organs of the body, such
as the eyes and the hands, which nature has made double. Thus
_tekasenthos_, I weep, is never used except in this form.
6 The reiterative is expressed by the sound of _s_ prefixed to the verb.
It sometimes replaces the cislocative sign; thus, _tkahtenties_, I come
from yonder; _skahtenties_, I come again.
7. The motional is a form which by some is considered a special future
tense. Thus, from _khiatons_, I write, we have _khiatonnes_, I am going
to write; from _katerios_, I fight, _katerioseres_, I am going to the
war; from _kesaks_, I seek, _kesakhes_, I am going to seek. These forms
are irregular, and can only be learned by practice.
8. The causative suffix is _tha_; as from _k'kowanen_, I am great, we
have _k'kowanaTHA_, I make great, I aggrandize. With _at_ inserted we
have a simulative or pretentious form, as _katkowanaTHA_, I make myself
great, I pretend to be great. The same affix is used to give an
instrumental sense; as from _keriios_, I kill, we have _keriiohTHA_, I
kill him with such a weapon or instrument.
9. The progressive, which ends in _tie_ (sometimes taking the forms
_atie_, _hatie_, _tatie_), is much used to give the sense of becoming,
proceeding, continuing, and the like; as _wakhiatontie_, I go on
writing; _wakatrorihatie_, I keep on talking; _wakeriwaientatie_, I am
attending to the business. The addition of an _s_ to this form adds the
idea of plurality or diversity of acts; thus, _wakhiatonties_, I go on
writing at different times and places; _wakatrorihaties_, I keep on
telling the thing, _i. e._, going from house to house.
10. The attributive has various forms, which can only be learned by
practice or from the dictionaries. It expresses an action done for some
other person; as, from _wakiote_, I work, we have _kiotense_, I work for
some one; from _katatis_, I speak, _katatiase_, I speak in favor of some
one.
11. The habitual ends in _kon_. From _katontats_, I hear, I consent, we
have _wakatontatskon_, I am docile; from _katatis_, I speak,
_wakatatiatskon_, I am talkative.
12. The frequentative has many forms, but usually ends in _on_, or
_ons_. From _khiatons_, I write, we have in this form _khiatonnions_, I
write many things; from _katkahtos_, I look, _katkahtonnions_, I look on
all sides.
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