Coos

Citation preview

coos BY

LEO

J.

FRACHTENBERG

297

CONTENTS Page

Introduction 1.

303

2.

and history Phonology Vowels

3.

Consonants

306 306 306

4.

Sound groupings

307

Accent 6-14. Phoneticlaws

309

305

Distribution

2-14.

5.

310 310

6.

Introductory 7-11. Vocalic processes 7. Vocalic harmony 8. Consonantization of i- and u- diphthongs 9. Contraction 10. Hiatus 11. Processes due to change from terminal to medial position 12-14. Consonantic processes 12. Types of consonantic processes 13.

310 310 312

313 314 315 316 316 316 317 317 318 319 319 319 321 322

Consonantic euphony doubled consonants

14. Simplification of

15.

Grammatical processes

16.

Ideas expressed by grammatical processes

17-95.

Morphology

17-24. Prefixes

18.

The articles IE and hz The personal pronouns

19.

Inchoative qa-

17.

20. Privative k'/a-

323

r

323

Adverbial n22. Locative x23. Discriminative x24. Modal and instrumental x21.

323

324 325

326 326 328

25-80. Suffixes

General remarks 26-55. Verbal suffixes

25.

328

26-27. Transitive suffixes 26. Transitive 27.

-t,

-is

328

.'

331

Causative -lyat

332

28-31. Intransitive suffixes 28. Intransitive -aai 29. Keciprocal

*--

-m

fc',

7.8

k'/int 5.2

(St. Glair)

exceptional instance of a usually inadmissible sound grouping

was found $

$U

miltf 76.12

An

and

of terminal sound groupings

hata'yims 20.14 yi'xumx 122.22

xwdndj

l-\-t

n+

in xyi'hdq 20.21.

HANDBOOK OF INDIAN LANGUAGES

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-COOS

309

All inadmissible terminal clusters are avoided through the insertion of a (weak) vowel between the two final consonants.

dsmst-

ds'msit prairie 22.12 he arrived 20.18

he'laq

Jielq-

Lki'nap he went through 22.11 mi'lax lunch 28.15 a'lqas fear 66.4

LJnnpmtix-

17-95)

(

17-24)

Three of the six prefixes found in this language namely, the local, discriminative, and modal xmust have originally expressed one general idea incorporating these

The number

of prefixes

is

small.

three concepts, because the phonetic resemblance between these sufIn addition to these fixes is too perfect to be a mere coincidence.

and the personal pronouns may be treated in this chapter, as they are loosely prefixed to the nominal (or verbal) stems, and in a great many cases form a phonetic unit with the words that

prefixes, the article

follow them.

The Articles

17.

The

article IE, or

A,

is

IE

and hE

used in the singular and plural alike, and

denote a definite or indefinite

The

definite

article

indicates an object that actually exists or that is intimately

known

may

to the speaker.

No

object.

fixed rules can be given for the occurrence of

the two different forms IE and A#, but the following general principle may be said to hold good: hs tends to occur at the beginning of

a sentence and after words ending in vowels, dentals, and sibilants; while IE occurs in all other cases.

hs hatafyims (1) mias'sd'wef (%) kfafwat (3) /IE to'qmas (4) the woodpecker (4) is pecking at (3) the lucky (2) money (1) 20.15 hli'nl stouq IE dl'lol

wdndj

tcbne'heni

young man 22.27 thus was thinking the young

there stood the

hs

d/i'lM

man

24.13, 14 '

IE i/ta, sticking out

was the earth 6.7

17

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

320

[BULL. 40

The article very often performs the function of the personal pronoun of the third person singular, and in such cases is to be rendered by HE, SHE, or

IT.

IE he'laq IE wflnqas

u

temflsnatc

(in

to

order)

gamble he

arrived, the spider's grandson 66.20, 21 JIE tsu'tsu he was killed 96.14

The

nominal izing function, and when prefixed

article has a general

to adverbs, adjectives, etc., gives JIE

go

them the force of nouns.

us dtfl k'yEai's tsxawlfyat

everything separately he put down

48.18, 19

go

us

d/ffl

x lai' 'tset JIEX

appearance

(i.

e.,

kwVnau tc

everything was started the everything began to have its present appear(of)

ance) 12.7 TIE qa'LtEs the length

ma U

ma

ya'lanl surely, (whatever) the far-off people were talking 66.13 law he'tt Tcwi'leL IE e?k'%Ld u ts that (was) their sweat-house, which IE ehe'ntc

you found

62. 25 u dowayExta!is qa 'wa I last night 50.25, 26

ty'ne Its IE e

t

In some instances the article

am

the one

whom you

wanted

prefixed to the personal pronoun of the third person singular for the sake of emphasis. is

ta Is'xa lau qats VriiEx u to, IE Vlxa la

and he, he was just alone 68.2 psnLd'wai U Ldwet'wat and they, they whale are

eating 130.13 It is also prefixed for the

noun

same purpose

to the demonstrative pro-

lau .

lsla u qaL/axex'l'we these began to flop around 17.6 u qantc lsla laa'yam wherever these went 22.17, 18

In certain local phrases the article prefixed to the whole and lowed by the local term very often expresses local relation. JIE

ds'msU

sat TIE

down

ntcetne'nis

hau

fol-

E qtsu at the edge (of) the prairie they

til

22.15

tskwa' x iAs

nhaL/ sto'waq

at the lower part (of) the fir-tree he

stood up 26.17

(For the article as a possessive prefix, see .17

98.)

...

il.^

HANDBOOK OF INDIAN LANGUAGES

BOAS]

18.

COOS

321

The Personal I*>*onouns

The following are the personal pronouns

in Coos:

no special form for the third person singular, which expressed by the mere stem or by the article. he' mis dtfl nk'ilo'wit big something I saw 62.21 There

is

is

merely you are sleeping 68.19 a'yu to' hits indeed! he hit it 13.3 is ali' caul hanL we (two) will play 38.11 tsi e^qa'qal

ma

xwin wutxalfyat a man we (two) brought home 128.8 tso ic Idyl now you two (are) well 120.20 E afyu ux L an surely they two went down into the water 54.16 x linplf 'pi hanL we will go home 120.21 cin sqats hanL tE tdwdl } ou will seize that fire 40.18, 19 7

1

aso tcl

il

wu'txe again here the}7 returned 30.5

plural for the imperative form of 3 6 and cine are ice intransitive verbs respectively, instead of ic and cin.

The second persons dual and ice stouq 5

you two stand up! 120.15 here you two come! 82.13 Lduq you get up! 30.19

tsi'x'tl ice* djl

cine5

But compare heml'yE you two lay him bare! 24.10

tc te*

tci

qlmi'tsE this you two eat! 120.16 cin L/elfys ten Jc'e'la there you put this

ic

The pronoun

of the third person plural

my hand!

(il)

80.19

very often precedes

the article or the possessive pronoun of the third person singular in

order to emphasize the idea of plurality. go

us (Ml lau tc!le if wat,

everything he 34.25, 26 3045

is

Bull. 40, pt. 2

il

IE melafku'ku ,

drying, 12

21

il

IE ptsa,

the salmon hearts, the

il

IE mi'luxas

gills,

the

tails

18

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

322

xle'Uc Mpllfyap Id a, U la k'e'la, U la Tcxla with faces, their hands, their feet 122.7

it

[BULL. 40

she painted their

The numerical particle iflc'l BOTH very often precedes the dual pronouns in order to emphasize the idea of duality. tso I'k'l

qaxa'ntc

In the same

forms

x'i'ntset

now both

(of

them) got on top 14.1

us

ALL is placed before the plural out the idea of bring plurality.

way

in order to

lau go us

ux

the particle go

.

wdndj

$,

L/d'xEm these

all

that

way

are talking 50.9, 10

As

has been remarked before, the pronouns are loosely prefixed enclitics. They form no integral part of the word, although with a few exceptions they precede immediately the noun or verb to which

they belong. in

They are always placed before the

prefixes enumerated

19-24.

ux nkwafxLa both of these have bows (literally, both they two [are] with bows) 12.9 tso tyqaLdwl'we now I commence to eat ic xqantcu'wis you two from what place (are)? 126.14 I'lc'l

$

Jc'!a,x(i'

a

they have no water

p

(literally,

they [are] without

water) 38.2

The personal pronouns are contracted with the negative particle In i NOT, en THOU NOT, etc. (see The prefixed personal pro9).

into nl

nouns are also used

pronouns

(see

in the formation of transitive subject

and object

46).

19. inchoative qaThis prefix denotes the commencement of an action. The verb to which it is prefixed takes, with a few exceptions, the suffixes -Iwe or -lye (see

32, 35).

a'yu qaLdwl'we indeed (she)

qatdnehenl'we (he) began

commenced

to eat 24.11

to think 20.7

ux qawelanl'we they two commenced to fight tso ux qayuwatlfye now they two commenced qambU'ye (he) commenced to swim 30.3

When

prefixed to an impersonal verb or to a force, the suffix is omitted. Id

L! aha,' was stiff

lau qa'xto w

to travel 12.6

noun with a verbal

her garments (these) commenced to get

110.3

qayixumata'is (he) commenced to travel around menced the traveling) 32.10 19

(literally, [he]

com-

HANDBOOK OF INDIAN LANGUAGES

BOAS]

COOS

323

20. Privative k*!asame function as the English suffix -LESS. With the possessive pronoun, it expresses ABSENCE (p. 399). U k'/dtdwd'l they (have) no fire 38.1 k'Id'tetcrrifclat (she) swam around naked (lit., without clothes) 86.1 fc/dhuwd'was mUslHtl'ye suddenly she became pregnant (literally, without delay she became pregnant) 10.7 It has the

21. Adverbial nThis prefix may be rendered by IN, AT, TO, ON, WITH. When preceded by the article or those pronouns that end in a vowel, it is suffixed to them, and the unit thus obtained is loosely prefixed to the noun.

The same

ma

ai'wit IE

rule applies to the discriminative and modal

nL/tafyas he killed

(all)

x-.

the people in the village

112.9, 10

afyu yu'kwe Idn yixd'wsx surely he came ashore at his house (and not Id nyixd'wEx) 36. 6 Lowi'tat

TIE dl'lol Idl

nrm'k'e ran the young

man

to that basket

28.27

nxalaJwls lau he'laq with heat she arrived 24. 9 n- in the sense of

WITH very often

In such cases the noun to which

auxiliary verb TO HAVE, TO BE.

prefixed takes the verbal suffix

exercises the function of our

-e

or -a (see

44).

Id ku hd'yeq his excrements are [are] his excrements) 20. 6, 7

nwi'tme blood is nhumd'k'ehe we two have wives

it is

bloody

(literally,

(literally,

with

we two with wives

are) 10.9

nda nt

ma

lau tc!pd'ya u

(literally,

nk/d'ha

many people

ntda'Jia