The Dakotan Languages, and Their Relations to Other Languages

by A. W. Williamson

9. I have not found infinitive suffix -na in Dak.

10. I E -na was a passive participial suffix, developing also denominatives. The Dak has perhaps a few relics; I E ku bring low, kauna low; Dak ku- in kuchedan, also kun low. I E mi, diminish (mince); Yank and Tit Dak mina knife.

11. I E -ni formed abstracts and nouns of agency. Possibly it is found in; I E migh pour out water; Dak mini water; and a few others.

12. Two words containing -nu, are recognized by Schleicher as I E; I E and Dak su bear; I E sunu son; Dak sun younger brother. I E and Dak tan extend; I E tanu adj thin, noun body; Dak tan body.

13. I E -ta (our -d) formed the past passive participle, and nouns of similar signification, in which uses it is tolerably frequent in Dak; I E ski collect, arrange; Dak shki plait gather, skita bound together, tied on; I E pu destroy rot; Min pu rot; Dak po in pon (=po an) rotten, po -ta used up, worn out; I E sta stand, stata standing, stopped, brought to a stand; Dak -sdata standing, stopped, hence also sdata feeble; I E su sew, sut sewed; Dak suta strong, compare Min ashu a string cord; I E and Dak wi wind, wrap around, encircle; Dak wita island; wita bound together, in witaya together.

14. I E -ta formed nouns of agency and future participles. It is derived by Bopp from I E tar pass-over, whence also Eu tar, tur pass-over, possess, accomplish, fulfil. The root is extremely frequent in these uses in the Dakotan languages, and in Dak at least is much used as a suffix. The last half of the word Mini-tari is tari, cross over. In Dak, Eu tur is re; represented as accurately as possible by ton possess, accomplish, fulfil, have, give birth, and the preposition tan in composition from equally represents Skt tar, from.[H]

As forming nouns of agency it has in Dak lost the r; Eu pa, whence Eu pana fire; Dak peta fire; I E ak Skt iksh see, whence our eye; Min aka, ika see; Crow am-aka, Iowa at-aka see; ishta eye, in all Dakotan languages.

We perhaps have a few relics of tar as a comparative suffix; I E uk increase whence Old Sax agen our again; Mand age, Dak ake again, Dak akton more than.

15. I have not recognized -ti in Dak.

16. Dak wetu, etu time, season, may be I E and Dak, -wi encircle, with -tu, but is more probably related to I E vatas year, adj. old.