TATCHE GRAMMAR.
Cases do not appear to exist, the relations of the nouns being expressed by particles. Adjectives do not vary to show gender or degree. Personal pronouns are usually copulative and included in the verb, whether subjective or objective. Of the use of the possessive pronoun the following examples will give the clearest idea: Brother, citolo; my brother, cítol; thy brother, eatsmitol; brothers, citolanélo; my brothers, citolanél; thy brothers, eatsmitolanel; mother, epjo; thy mother, petsmipeg; house, chviconou; my house, chvíconov; thy house, zimchvicono; blood, akata; my blood, ekata; thy blood, cimekata; father, ecco; my father, tili; thy father, cimic; our father, tatilli; work, tácâto; my work, tácât; thy work, cimtácât; our work, zatúcât; your work, zugtácât; mine, zeé; thine, eatsmeamée; this, na; that, pea.
Verbs have also a plural form. Ca*lom, to teach; ca*ólilom, to teach much, or, to teach many.
| SINGULAR. | PLURAL. | ||||
| To desire | quiaolep | quiaolilep | |||
| To drink | cácheme | cáchetem | |||
| To run | quenole | quenoltec | |||
| To say | maláco | maloltaco | |||
| To walk | qui*tipav | qui*lipav | |||
| VERB AND PRONOUN. | |||||
| I teach, | 'ecao*lom | Give me, | meayaoc | ||
| He teaches me, | quepaoalác | Give us, | maítiltac | ||
| Speak thou to me, | pssiaoc | He gives us, | peayaoc | ||
| Speak you to me, | pssitác | He gives us, | paitiltac | ||
| To give, | peyaco, peaíco | ||||
| I love thee, | 'epeapaomaqueca | ||||
| Thou lovest thyself, | mimo eatameapaomapque*co | ||||
The following are prepositions: by, zo; in neapea; to zui, zuiyo, zo; from, zeapea; on, zui; within, zineapav. A few examples of adverbs are—here, zopav; there, neapé; to-day, taha; to-morrow, tixjáy; yesterday, notcieyo.
LORD'S PRAYER.
Za tili, (Our father,) mo (thou) quixco (art) neapea (in) limaatnil. (heaven.) An zucueteyem (Hallowed) na (the) etsmatz: (thy name:) antsiejtsitia (come) na (the) ejtmilina. (thy kingdom.) An citaha (Be done) natsmalog (thy will) zui (on) lac* (earth) quicha (as) neapae (in) lima. (heaven.) Maitiltac (Give us) taha (to-day) zizalamaget (our food) zizucanatel ziczia. (our daily.) Za manimtiltac (Forgive us) na (the) zanayl, (Debts,) quicha (as) na (the) kac (we) apaninitílico (forgive them) na (the) zananaol. Zi (our debt.) quetza ( ) commanatatelnec (Let not) za (us) alimeta (fall) zo (into) na (the) ziuxnia.(temptation.) Za no (Us) quissili (from) jom zig (evil) zumtaylitee. (defend.) Amen.[IV'-37]( )
SAN MIGUEL AND SANTA CRUZ VOCABULARY.
Another distinct language is found at and near the Mission of San Miguel, but of it nothing but a short vocabulary taken by Mr Hale is known. The language spoken at San Gabriel and at San Fernando Rey, called Kizh, and the Netela used at San Juan Capistrano, I shall not describe here, but include them with the Shoshone family, to which they are related. The Chemehuevi and Cahuillo I also place among the Shoshone dialects, while the Diegeño and Comeya will be included in the Yuma family. It therefore only remains for me to speak of the languages of the islands near the coast of California. Of these, the principal, or mother language, was spoken on the island of Santa Cruz. The different tribes inhabiting the various islands all spoke dialects of one language, which was somewhat guttural. I insert a short vocabulary of the Santa Cruz Island language with that of the Mission of San Miguel.