Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/271

 APP. NO. I.] GRAMMATICAL NOTICES. ONONDAGAS. 235 6 she,' guwa ; ' we/ iiunqua ; ' ye,' jetswa ; ( they,' masculine, fhuwati, wahuwati ; ' they,' feminine, guwati.* Verbs. — Active and passive verbs have the same termina- tion, but the pronominal prefix is changed as stated above : Wagerio, ' I beat ' ; Junkerio, ' I am beaten.' Tenses. — Gato, i I say ' ; gatochne, ' I said ' ; ngato, ' I shall say.' Participle. — Hattie is added to express continuation of action done or suffered : Wagiote, ' I work ' ; wagiotehattie, ' I am working.' Wagin, 'I come '; waginhattie, ' I am coming.' Voice, number, person, gender are distinguished by prefixed inseparable pronouns. Infinitive is the root. The first person of the present indica- tive has the pronoun prefixed and generally drops the first syllable of the infinitive : Wauntgachtwi, ' to see ' ; gatgachtwi, ' I see.' Perfect is formed by affixing to the present ochne, ohqua, chta, nha, squa, hqua, sta, hlca, &c. ; which of these shall be used depends on and varies with the termination of the verb : — Perfect. in qua— squa, " ze- hochne, in di t ti - ung, " anijjif — hhuchqua. ending in ta- clique, chne, " " wa- clita, " (f ra- nha, ochne. Future by prefixing to present en, or in, pronounced 'n. Imperative by prefixing or intercalating a ; future imperative by prefixing na. By future imperative is meant a future which orders ; you shall ; simple future, you will. Zeisberger makes four conjugations besides irregular and defective verbs. The prepositions are supplied by inseparable suffixes ; age, in and upon, acu, wacu, in, achera, on, upon, ocu, under, acta, at, on, by, astuntie, about, hattie, during-, atie, along, ati, on the other side, ge, ohne, to, unto, tochsgehha, near, hoquadi, towards, hactattie, without, acre, attic, through. the third person singular feminine. In verbs beginning with wa or t, the distinguishing pronominal letters are placed between the first and second syllable.
 * g, s, w, are properly the distinguishing letters of pronouns and go of