Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/210

 174 A SYNOPSIS OF THE INDIAN TRIBES. [iNTROD. tendency to incorporate the accessaries in the same word with the noun or verb, that separable prepositions were not to be found, or but rarely used, in any Indian language. Eliot, in the Mas- sachusetts Grammar, and the authors of the English Seneca Spelling-Book, have enumerated respectively the parts of speech of those two languages ; and prepositions are omitted in both. But reasoning a priori is unsafe ; and facts are still wanted, in order to ascertain, in almost all the Indian languages, the num- ber, the derivation, and the manner of using or compounding the inseparable and separable propositions. Substantive Verb. Conversion of Nouns into Verbs. The preceding observations relate rather to peculiarities than to the general character of the Indian languages. The substitution of intransitive verbs for the substantive verb, in cases, where this is generally used in modern languages, may be reckoned as one of the general characters of those at least of our Indians. It appears certain that the Indians have one or more verbs, expressive of locality, and corresponding with the verb to be, when used in that sense, as, ' Peter is at, or in, such a place.' And it may be, that some of the nations have a verb denoting absolute existence. Mr. Schoolcraft has, in his vocabulary, ' To be,' v. s. Ja, and ' I am,' ' thou art,' nin dya, Jci dya ; Mr. Worcester mentions the Cherokee verb geha, meaning c I exist,' and sometimes, ' I dwell,' and another defective impersonal verb gesunggi, but which seems rather to denote time, than to apply to existence. Mr. Compere alludes to a Muskhogee verb, domist, as implying existence ; and other instances may perhaps be adduced. But, whether such a verb be found or not in some of the languages, and whatever may be its proper meaning, it is at least certain, that no such verb is used, either as an auxiliary in the passive voice, or in con- nexion with attributes, or with substantives susceptible of a verbal form. Although the English language has a great number of intransitive verbs ; yet, in the passive voice, or when it is intended to express a certain particular state of passive existence, implying no voluntary, organic, or instanta- neous action, the substantive verb is uniformly used. We say indeed, < to run,' ' to sleep,' and even, ' to die ' ; in which last case,