Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo - Alternative Religions ...

Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo - Title Page
subjective taking p, the dual k, and the plural t. There are two kinds of suffixes expressing the relation to
the subject itself, or to another; and besides this, every suffix has its peculiar form for number,
subjective, objective, and the local cases. But in order to add the above flexional letters, the nouns
themselves, in certain cases, must be somewhat modified; and the rules for this transformation are nearly
the only complicated part of Greenlandish grammar. Yet the natives would seem sometimes not to
consider this transformation absolutely necessary in correct speaking, saying igdlo, house; igdlut,
houses; but tupe8, tent; tov8it, or also tupit, tents. Excepting these transformations, the numerous forms
may be represented by help of a scheme which can be written on a quarto page.
The verbs are divided, according to the mark of the p. 18 third person indicative, into five classes, with
endings as follow: po8, rpo8, gpo8, vo8, and ao8, but each still to be conjugated according to the same
scheme, which comprises all the numerous combinations of these formsviz., numbers, persons, suffixes,
and moodsand still, on account of its regularity, can be written on one folio page. Negation is expressed
by the additional stem ngila8, which is conjugated in a somewhat peculiar manner.
In consequence of what has just been explained, personal pronouns generally are of no use. Still, some
words of pronominal signification exist, used when the person must be expressed more distinctly; but
even those words seem to have been formed by help of suffixes, such as uvanga, I, which perhaps
originally signified, my being here. However, of demonstrative roots twelve are found corresponding to
the notions here (ma), north, south, there, above, &c. Without any addition or flexion, they only occur as
interjections, but otherwise always as nouns, answering to the questions where, whence, which way, and
whereto. Of these roots, pronouns for the third person are formed by adding na, with the sense of, this
here (mána), he there in the north, &c.
The real numerals only run from 1 to 5, like the fingers on one hand, then the fingers on the other are
enumerated, and afterwards, if necessary, the toes on the feet. For this reason 20 is called "the man
finished." The rest are expressed by some partitive word showing the number counted, as atause8, 1;
mardluk, 2; pingasut, 3; sisamat, 4; tatdlimat, 5; but arfine8 pingasut, 8 (or 3 upon the other hand);
24 is called 4 upon the second man, and 80, finishing 4 men.
Construction of words.We have already mentioned the signification of the stems. These are derived from
roots, and it must be supposed that either several stems have a common root, or that several roots have
been p. 19 related to each other, as, for example, 8ô8, urine; and kûk, a river. But the grammar does not
explain the origin of the stems, whose formation is considered as accomplished and fixed; and here we
shall only try to give an idea of their further application in constructing words. With the exception only
of the verbal ending, necessary for the formation of real verbs, words are always composed or formed by
help of the additional stems, also called affixes. These are divided into (1) the transforming class, by
which verbs can be converted into nouns, or nouns into verbs; (2) the formative class, by which the word
remains unchanged in this respect.
A selection of the most remarkable additional stems or affixes.
I. ADDED NOUNS OR NOMINAL AFFIXES.
1. Transforming.
to8 or sso8, being or doing so, consequently a sort of nominal participle, as ajorpo8, he is bad; ajortok,
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