Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/288

 '252 A SYNOPSIS OF THE INDIAN TRIBES. [iNTROD. M'.ah icdnah 7, I have now come. Oangkeah wonah 7p7e, we have now come. Neeah thseetshoo, to thee I gave it. Odkekah e'tah eg, down the river he has gone. // ahtah hey cctawah, canoe that is his. Ecoh tah icaJitahpee, theirs are the canoes. Mahzahkhong tuay neetshoopee, guns the who gave you. CHOCTAW, or CHAHTA. [Extracted from " Missionary Spelling-Book," first edition, 1825, and Mr. Alfred Wright's Notes to the Vocabulary, 1828.] Nouns have but one form in the singular and plural numbers. Nouns in the Chahta language have no plural form. This de- fect is in part remedied, by means of verbs and adjectives, many of which, especially the former, have a plural form ; as, 1. Hottok vt gomma hikia, a man stands there. Hottok vt gomma hiohli, men stand there. 2. By adjectives ; as, hottok achukma, a good man ; hottok hochukma, good men. Nouns are not varied under two general classes of animated beings and inanimate objects. The gender of nouns is distinguished by using with the noun, a distinct term, which signifies male or ft. male. Compound nouns are generally formed by uniting to the sim- ple noun or to a verb, certain significative nouns used for that purpose, or certain inseparable particles. E XAMPLES. From isht, ' a cause ' or ' instrument,' prefixed to a verb, as, ishtittibe, ' a weapon,' from ittibe, ' to fight.' From a, a-i, or i prefixed to verbs, and meaning place where or in which (a used before a consonant ;) as, anuse, ' a roost,' from nuse, l to sleep' ; ayutta, ' a dwelling-place,' from yutta, l to stand.' From ushe, ' a son ' or * offspring, ' suffixed to another noun ; as, i-yushe, ' a toe,' from iye ' the foot ' ; oklushe, c a tribe/ from olda, ' people,' ' nation.' From uppe, ' a stalk ' or ' trunk,' suffixed to another noun; as,