Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/298

 262 A SYNOPSIS OF THE INDIAN TRIBES. [iNTROD. The negative form is formed by inserting in the indicative la, in the imperative and present subjunctive qui, in the other tenses of the subjunctive and in the infinitive no ; observing that those particles must precede those which designate the primary tenses, and be placed after the uije of the secondary tenses. The impersonal form changes the final n of the indicative and the final i of the subjunctive into am; eluam, in Spanish dan, ' they give, ' ' it is given.' Transitions. This is the name given by the Spanish grammarians to those compound conjugations, (familiar to the Hebrew student,) in which the verb is combined not only with the acting pronoun but also with that in the objective case ; ' he loves me,' ' I love you,' &lc. Those transitions (common to all known American langua- ges,) are, according to the character of the Chilian, arranged in reference to the person to whom the action passes, and in whom it terminates, or generally in reference to the object of the action. Derivatives are numerous. Nouns corresponding with those ending in Spanish in or (Eng. er) are formed by changing the termination n of the first person of verbs into voe or vo ; eluvoe, c a giver ' ; hueneve, ' a robber.' Nouns corresponding with those of the termination bilis in Latin, by inserting val in the participle; ayuvallu, ' amiable.' The conversion of the final n into hue, and the insertion of que, pe, mo, before the final um of the gerund, also produce nouns designating locality, instrument, &c. Abstract nouns are formed by adding gen (the substan- tive verb sum) to adjectives or verbs; cumegen, 'goodness,' from cume, 'good.' The same gen prefixed to a substantive means ' lord,' ' master' ; and placed after the verb, implies the obligation, or being worthy to do, the act signified by the verb. Verbs are often used, without any alteration, as either adjec- tives or substantives ; but they more generally drop for that pur- pose the final n : and reciprocally, nouns, pronouns, and even adverbs may become verbs by the addition of n ; cumen, ' to be good ' ; pedrovuy, ' he was Peter.' Neuter verbs may become active by the insertion of several particles, some being used for some verbs and some for others. Athun, 'to be tired'; athucan, 'to tire another'; putun, 'to drink '; putuln, ' to give drink '; Ian, ' to die '; lagumn, ' to kill '; ihemn, ' to grow '; themumn, ' to bring up,' &tc.