Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/53

 idiom of their language. 41

opprobrious allufion to Kifh the father of Saul, for the fon's afiuming the throne at the end of the Jewifh theocracy. In their adjectives and verbs, they ufe the fame method of fpeech; as Nahoorefo Cbin-Chookoma^ " Your book is good." The former word is compounded of N3 (Na) now, or the prefent time, and Hoorefo, delineated, marked, or painted. Aia fignifies to go, and Maia-Cha^ " Go along," or Maia, the fame ; for, by prefixing D to it, it im plies a requifite obedience. In like manner, Apeefah^ to fee, and Peesacha^ look, or " fee you." And, when that particle is prefixed to a verb, it always exprefles the accufative cafe of the fame pronoun j as Cbepeefabre, " I faw you," and Chepeefahras, " I mall fee you." Each of the Hebrew characters are radicals ; although half of them are ferviles, according to that proper term of the fcholiafts, for, when they are prefixed, inferted, or fubjoined, either at the beginning, middle, or end of a radical word, they ferve to form its various augments, inflexions, and derivatives. According to this difficult ftandard of fpeech, the Indian nouns, moods, and tenfes, are varioufly formed to ex- prefs different things. As there is no other known language or dialect, which has the fame tedious, narrow, and difficult principles, muft we not confider them to be twin-born filters ? The want of proper (kill to obferve the original fixed idea of the Indian words, their radical letters, and the due- founds in each of them, feems to have been the only reafon why the writers on the American Aborigines, have not exhibited the true and genuine pro perties of any one of their dialects ; as they are all uniform in principle : fo far at leaft, as an extenfive acquaintance reaches.

The Hebrew nouns are either derived from verbs, or both of them arc one and the fame ; as ro~O, (Beroche) " BlefTing," from "pi, (Beroch) " to blefs," and m 111, (Dabar Daber) " he fpoke the fpeech." This proper name fignifies " loquacious," like the Indian Sekaket, fignifying the " grafshopper." The Indian method of expreffion, exactly agrees with that Hebrew mode of fpeech ; for they fay Anumlole Anumboh (kis} " I fpake the fpeaking ," and AnnwloU Enumbole (kis\ " he fpoke the fpeak- ing, or fpeech." And by inferting the name of God between thefe two words, their meaning is the very fame with thofe two firft Hebrew words. I mail fubjoin another word of the fame fort Hookfeeleta fignifies " a mut- ting inftrument ;" and they fay Ifljtookjeelcta.. or Hookfeeleta, Ifo-hockfeetas* or Hookfeeta Cha, " You fhall, or, (hut you the door." Their period of the Jail word, always denotes the fecond perfon fingular of the imperative mood;

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