In these forms the noun is singular throughout. To render it plural, as well as the pronoun, the appropriate general plurals ug and un or ig and in, must be superadded. But it must be borne in mind, in making these additions, “that the plural inflection to inanimate nouns (which have no objective case,) forms the objective case to animates, which have no number in the third person,” [p. 30.] The particle un, therefore, which is the appropriate plural for the inanimate nouns in these examples, is only the objective mark of the animate.
The plural of I, is naun, the plural of thou and he, wau. But as these inflections would not coalesce smoothly with the possessive inflections, the connective vowels i. and e. are prefixed, making the plural of I, inaun, and of thou, &c. ewau.
If we strike from these declensions the root IE, leaving its animate and inanimate forms AU, and EE, and adding the plural of the noun, we shall then,—taking the animate declension as an instance, have the following formula of the pronominal declensions.
| Pron. Sing. | Place of the Noun. | [Possessive] inflection. | Obj. inflec. to the nooun sing. | Connect. vowel. | Plu. inflec. of the pronoun. | Obj. inflec. n. plu. | Plural of the Noun. |
| Ne | —— | aum | —— | - i - | - naun | —— | - ig. |
| Ke | —— | aum | —— | - e - | - wau | —— | - g. |
| O | —— | aum | un | ||||
| O | —— | aum | —— | - e - | - wau | - n |
To render this formula of general use, six variations, (five in addition to the above) of the possessive inflection, are required, corresponding to the six classes of substantives, whereby aum would be changed to am, eem, im, öm, and oom, conformably to the examples heretofore given in treating of the substantive. The objective inflection, would also be sometimes changed to een and sometimes to oan.
Having thus indicated the mode of distinguishing the person, number, relation, and gender—or what is deemed its technical equivalent, the mutation words undergo, not to mark the distinctions of sex, but the presence or absence of vitality, I shall now advert to the inflections which the pronouns take for tense, or rather, to form the auxiliary verbs, have, had, shall, will, may, &c. A very curious and important principle, and one, which clearly demonstrates that no part of speech has escaped the transforming genius of the language. Not only are the three great modifications of time accurately marked in the verbal forms of the Chippewas, but by the inflection of the pronoun they are enabled to indicate some of the oblique tenses, and thereby to conjugate their verbs with accuracy and precision.
The particle gee added to the first, second, and third persons singular of the present tense, changes them to the perfect past, rendering I, thou, He, I did—have—or had. Thou didst,—hast—or hadst, He, or she did—have, or had. If gah, be substituted for gee, the first future tense is formed, and the perfect past added to the first future, forms the conditional future. As the eye may prove an auxiliary in the comprehension of forms, which are not familiar, the following tabular arrangement of them, is presented.
| First Person, I. | |
| Nin gee, | I did—have—had. |
| Nin gah, | I shall—will. |
| Nin gah gee, | I shall have—will have. |
| Second Person, Thou. | |
| Ke gee, | Thou didst—hast—hadst. |
| Ke gah, | Thou shall—wilt. |
| Ke gah gee, | Thou shall have—wilt have. |
| Third Person, He, or She. | |
| O gee, | He or she did—has—had. |
| O gah, | He or she did—has—had. |
| O gah gee, | He or she shall have—will have. |
The present and imperfect tense of the potential mood, is formed by dau, and the perfect by gee, suffixed as in other instances.