Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/285

 APP. NO. I.] GRAMMATICAL NOTICES. CHEROKEE. 249 of another, viz. in some forms it is remarkably polysyllabic. The following example may be taken, in addition to those which have already appeared, as illustrating both these characteristics. It is but a single word : Wi-ni-taw-ti-ge-gi-na- li-skaw-lung- ta-naw-ne~li-ti-se-sti ; which may be rendered in English, < They will by that time have nearly done granting (favors) from a distance to thee and to me.' The following peculiarities also exist. Every syllable in the language ends with a vowel sound. There are few monosyllables, very few, I believe only 15. These are all interjections and adverbs, except one, na, which is sometimes an adverb and sometimes a pronoun. This num- ber excludes a few syllables which are really perhaps distinct words, but which like the Latin que, cannot be separated from the end of other words. There are no prepositions. There is no relative pronoun. Adjectives are comparatively few, their place being supplied by attributive verbs. Verbs constitute by far a greater propor- tion of the Cherokee than of European languages. Most adjectives, and many substantives, may assume verbal prefixes, and be used as verbs ; substantives and many adjectives only in the present tense, but other adjectives in the most simple forms of present, past, and future. There are very few abstract terms, though the language is not entirely destitute of such. NOTES ON THE SELECT SENTENCES. By Rev. S. A. Worcester. 1 — 2. Anciently, at common meetings of acquaintances, no salutation was used. When friends met after a separation of considerable time, they expressed their joy by exclaiming, ' We see each other ! ' 3 — 16. See answer to grammatical query 5. There is no distinction of gender denoted by inflections. Inflections of verbs distinguish between animate and inanimate objects, but pronouns vol. ii. 32