Page:A Dictionary of the Biloxi and Ofo Languages.djvu/175



.—The Biloxi-English section is arranged under stems, or under the simplest element in the material at our disposal that can be distinguished. In the English-Biloxi part reference is made not to the equivalent of the English word, but to the stem or stems in the Biloxi-English section under which the equivalent may be found. The order preserved is the usual English alphabetical order, except that c (=English sh), j (the sonant of English sh), tc (English ch or tch), and dj (the sonant of the preceding) are placed after s, all being connected with the sibilant group, and x and x̣ after k, to which they are related. Nasalized vowels are placed after the simple vocalic forms, but sounds distinguished by diacritical marks are not classed by themselves. This would have been done in an absolutely scientific arrangement, but it is believed that convenience of reference is of more importance. In carding verbs Dorsey places the form for the third person singular first, since it is identical with the infinitive, and after it the forms for the second and first persons successively, and sometimes the plural forms in the same order without giving separate translations for any but the first.

The letters Bj. in parentheses after a word or expression mean that Betsey Joe, Dorsey’s best informant and a woman 74 years old at the time of his visit, is authority for it; (M.) refers to Maria, Betsey Joe’s daughter, and (Bk.) to Bankston (or, as the writer was given it, Banks) Johnson, Maria’s husband, whose father was a Biloxi but his mother an Alibamu. The few examples that come through Doctor Gatschet—most of his material having been superseded by that of Dorsey—are indicated by a following (G.). Of the other abbreviations, cv. signifies curvilinear, st. sitting, std. standing, sp. speaking; see also the Introduction.

a-, a prefix denoting habitual action; as, duseˊ, to bite, as a dog does; aˊduse, to be in the habit of biting. pxuyeˊdi, to gore, etc.; aˊpxuyeˊdi, to be in the habit of goring (see pxu). pstûˊki (?), to sew; aˊpstûˊki, to be accustomed to sewing, naxtĕˊ, to kick; aˊnaxtĕ, to be in the habit of kicking.

a-, on.—xĕhe, to sit; aˊxĕhe, to sit on it. siⁿhiⁿ, to stand; aˊsiⁿhiⁿ, to stand on it. adaˊgoⁿni, to glue on, as arrow-feathers, aˊtaⁿhiⁿ (from taⁿ), to run on it. aṭohoˊ (from ṭoho), to recline on.

'''a+! a+!, caw of the crow (14:''' 27¹).

adeˊ, adĕˊ, to blaze or burn, a blaze (see peti, uxtĕ, wûdĕ).—ayaⁿˊ adĕˊ wo (m. . sp.), or ayaⁿˊ adĕˊ (w.sp.), does the wood burn? ayaⁿˊ adĕˊ maˊñḳi, the wood lies (i. e., is) burning. aⁿhaⁿˊ, adĕˊ, yes, it burns. ĕtûxkiḳĕˊ adĕˊ, it burns nevertheless (or at any rate). kŭdoxtciˊkikĕˊ adĕˊ, though it is wet it burns. ayaⁿˊ uxwiˊ adĕˊ pixtiˊ, dry wood burns very

well.—adạsaⁿˊyĕ, heating it (28: 208). ûñktcaˊk atutiˊ, my hand is (was) burnt (p. 149: 20). daˊxŭniˊyĕtu, they burnt her (26: 71, 81). adeyĕˊ, to make a fire blaze, to kindle a fire (adeˊhayĕ, adeˊhûñḳĕ, adeˊhayĕtuˊ, adeˊhûñḳĕtuˊ).—kadeˊyĕniˊ, not to make it blaze (pl. kadeˊyĕtuniˊ, kadeˊhayĕtuniˊ, kadeˊhûñḳĕtuniˊ). kadeˊhayĕniˊ dandeˊ, you will not to burn or blaze. ayaⁿˊ kadĕˊni maˊñḳi, the wood does not burn as it lies; the wood is not burning. ayaⁿˊyaⁿ kadĕˊni xa maˊñḳi? is not the wood yet burning? kadĕni xa, it burns no longer. kadĕˊnixtiˊ; ot does not burn at all. tcĭdiḳĕ kaˊdĕniˊ,why does it not burn?— adatctkaˊ, to be scorched or burnt (ayiˊdatctka, yaˊñḳadatctka). Tcĕtkanaˊ asoⁿtiˊ waˊnihiyaˊ hiⁿ adatctkaˊ, Inaˊĕˊṭuḳoⁿˊni, the Rabbit’s hair between the shoulders was scorched by the sun (3: 23).—

¹ In this Dictionary the figures in heavy-faced type refer to the number of the myth, or, when preceded by “p.,” to the page containing the phrase cited; the following number in each case is that of the line of the myth or the line of the page containing the phrase referred to.