In tracing the operation of this rule, through the doublings of the language, it is necessary to distinguish every modification of sound, whether it is accompanied, or not accompanied by a modification of the sense. The particle un, which thus marks the third person and persons, is sometimes pronounced wun, and sometimes yun, as the harmony of the word to which it is suffixed, may require. But not the slightest change is thereby made in its meaning.
Wâbojeeg ogi meegân-ân nâdowaisi-wun.
Wâbojeeg fought his enemies. L. W. he did fight them, his enemy, or enemies.
O sâgi-ân inini-wun.
He, or she loves a man. L. He, or she, loves him-man, or men.
Kigo-yun waindji pimmâdizziwâd.
They subsist on fish. L. Fish or fishes, they upon them, they live.
Ontwa o sagiân odi-yun.
Ontwa loves his dog. L. O. he loves him, his dog, or dogs.
In these sentences the letters w and y are introduced before the inflection un, merely for euphony’s sake, and to enable the speaker to utter the final vowel of the substantive, and the inflective vowel, without placing both under the accent. It is to be remarked in these examples, that the verb has a corresponding inflection with the noun, indicated by the final consonant n, as in sagiâ-n, objective of the verb to love. This is merely a modification of un, where it is requisite to employ it after broad a (aw,) and it is applicable to nouns as well as verbs whenever they end in that sound. Thus, in the phrase, he saw a chief, O wâbumâ-n O gimâ-n, both noun and verb terminate in n. It is immaterial to the sense, which precedes. And this leads to the conclusion, which we are, in some measure, compelled to state, in anticipation of our remarks on the verb. That verbs must not only agree with their nominatives in number, person and gender (we use the latter term for want of a more appropriate one,) but also with their objectives. Hence the objective sign n, in the above examples. Sometimes this sign is removed from the ending of the verb, to make room for the plural of the nominative person, and is subjoined to the latter. Thus,
O sagiâ(wâ)n.
They love them, him or them.
In this phrase the interposed syllable (wâ) is, apparently, the plural—it is a reflective plural—of he—the latter being, indicated as usual, by the sign O. It has been observed, above, that the deficiency in number, in the third person, is sometimes supplied “by numerical inflections in the relative words of the sentence,” and this interposed particle, (wâ) affords an instance in point. The number of the nominative pronoun appears to be thus rendered precise, but the objective is still indefinite.
When two nouns are used without a verb in the sentence, or when two nouns compose the whole matter uttered, being in the third person, both have the full objective inflection. Thus,
Os-(un.) Odi-(yun.)
His father’s dog. L. His father—his dog or dogs.
There are certain words, however, which will not admit the objective un, either in its simple or modified forms. These are rendered objective in een, or ôn.
O wâbumâ-(n,) ossin-(een.)
He sees the stone. L. He sees him—stone or stones.
O wâbumâ-(n) mittig o mizh-(een.) L. He sees him, tree or trees.
He sees an oak tree.
O mittig wâb (een,) gyai o bikwuk-(ôn.)
His bow and his arrows. L. His bow him, and his arrows him or them.
Odyâ | wâ | wâ (n,) akkik-(ôn.)
They possess a kettle. L. They own them, kettle or kettles.
The syllable wâ, in the verb of the last example included between bars, (instead of parentheses,) is the reflective plural they, pointed out in a preceding instance.
I shall conclude these remarks, with full examples of each pronominal declension.
a. First declension, forming the first and second persons in aim, and the third in aimun.
| Nominative. | Pinâi, a partridge. |
| Pinâi-wug, partridges. | |
| 1 & 2d P. | My Nim Bin-aim. |
| Thy Ki Bin-aim. | |
| Our Ki Bin-aim inân. Inclusive plural. | |
| Our Ni Bin-aiminân. Exclusive plural. | |
| Your Ki Bin-aim wâ. | |
| 3rd P. | His O Bin-aim, (un.) |
| Their O Bin-aim iwâ (n.) |
e. Second declension forming the first and second persons in eem, and the third in eemun,
| Nominative. | Ossin, a stone. |
| Ossineen, stones. | |
| 1 & 2d P. | Thy Ki Dossin-eem. |
| Our Ki Dossin-eeminân. (in.) | |
| My Nin Dossin-eem. | |
| Our Ni Dossin-eeminân. (ex.) | |
| Your Ke Dossin-eemewâ. | |
| 3rd P. | His O Dossin-eem(un.) |
| Their O Dossin-eemewâ (n.) |
i. Third declension forming the first and second persons in im, and the third in imun.
| Nominative. | Ais, a shell. |
| Ais-ug, shells. | |
| 1 & 2d P. | My Nin Dais-im. |
| Thy Ki Dais-im. | |
| Our Ki Dais-iminân. (in.) | |
| Our Ni Dais-iminân. (ex.) | |
| Your Ki Dais-imiwâ. | |
| 3rd P. | His O Dais-im (un.) |
| Their O Dais-imewâ (n.) |
o. Fourth declension forming the first and second persons in ôm, and the third in ômun.
| Nominative. | Monidô, a Spirit. |
| Monidôg, Spirits. | |
| 1 & 2d P. | My Ni Monid-ôm. |
| Thy Ki Monid-ôm. | |
| Our Ki Monid-ôminân. (in.) | |
| Our Ni Monid-ôminân. (ex.) | |
| Your Ki Monid-ômiwâ. | |
| 3rd P. | His O monid-ôm (un.) |
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Their O Monid-ômewâ
|