The American Indians / Their History, Condition and Prospects, from Original Notes and Manuscripts

by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

To form the positive degree of comparison for these terms minno, good, and mudjee, bad, are introduced between the pronoun and verb, giving rise to some permutations of the vowels and consonants, which affect the sound only. Thus:—

Ne minno pimmaudizziwin,	My good tenor of life.
Ke minno pimmaudizziwin,	Thy good tenor of life.
Minno pimmaudizziwin,	His good tenor of life.
Ne mudjee pimmaudizziwin,	My bad tenor of life.
Ke mudjee pimmaudizziwin,	Thy bad tenor of life.
Mudjee pimmaudizziwin,	His bad tenor of life.

To place these forms in the comparative degree, nahwudj, more, is prefixed to the adjective; and the superlative is denoted by mahmowee, an adverb, or an adjective as it is variously applied, but the meaning of which, is, in this connexion, most. The degrees of comparison may be therefore set down as follows:—

	Positive,	Kishedä,	Hot, (restricted to the heat of a fire.)
	Comp.	Nahwudj Kishedä,	More hot.
	Super.	Mahmowee Kishedä,	Most hot.
Your manner of life is good,			Ke dizzihewäbizziwin onishishin.
Your manner of life is better,			Ke dizzhewäbizziwin nahwudj onishishin.
Your manner of life is best,			Ke dizzhewäbizziwin mahmowee onishishin.
His manner of life is best,			Odizzhewäbizziwin mahmowee onishishinine.
Little Turtle was brave,			Mikkenoköns söngedääbun.
Tecumseh was braver,			Tecumseh nahwidj söngedääbun.
Pontiac was bravest,			Pontiac mahmowee söngedääbun.

3. The adjective assumes a negative form when it is preceded by the adverb. Thus the phrase söngedää, he is brave, is changed to, Kahween söngedääsee, he is not brave.

Positive.	Negative.
Neebwaukah,	Kahween neebwaukah-see,
He is wise.	He is not wise.
Kwonaudjewe,	Kahween kwonaudjewe-see,
She is handsome.	She is not handsome.
Oskineegee,	Kahween oskineegee-see,
He is young.	He is not young.
Shaugweewee,	Kahween Shaugweewee-see,
He is feeble.	He is not feeble.
Geekkau,	Kahween Geekkau-see
He is old.	He is not old.
Mushkowizzi,	Kahween Mushkowizzi-see
He is strong.	He is not strong.

From this rule the indeclinable adjectives—by which is meant those adjectives which do not put on the personal and impersonal forms by inflection, but consist of radically different roots—form exceptions.

Are you sick?	Ke dahkoozzi nuh?
You are not sick!	Kahween ke dahkoozzi-see!
I am happy.	Ne minwaindum.
I am unhappy.	Kahween ne minwuinduz-see.
His manner of life is bad.	Mudjee izzhewabizzi.
His manner of life is not bad.	Kahween mudjee a izzhewabizzi-see.
It is large.	Mitshau muggud.
It is not large.	Kahween mitshau-seenön.

In these examples the declinable adjectives are rendered negative in see. The indeclinable, remain as simple adjuncts to the verbs, and the latter put on the negative form.

4. In the hints and remarks which have now been furnished respecting the Chippewa adjective, its powers and inflections have been shown to run parallel with those of the substantive, in its separation into animates and inanimates,—in having the pronominal inflections,—in taking an inflection for tense—(a topic, which, by the way, has been very cursorily passed over,) and in the numerous, modifications to form the compounds. This parallelism has also been intimated to hold good with respect to number—a subject deeply interesting in itself, as it has its analogy only in the ancient languages, and it was therefore deemed best to defer giving examples till they could be introduced without abstracting the attention from other points of discussion.