The Cahita and its Dialects—Cahita Grammar—Dialectic Differences of the Mayo, Yaqui, and Tehueco—Comparative Vocabulary—Cahita Lord's Prayer—The Tarahumara and its Dialects—The Tarahumara Grammar—Tarahumara Lord's Prayer in two Dialects—The Concho, The Toboso, The Julime, The Piro, The Suma, The Chinarra, The Tubar, The Irritila—Tejano—Tejano Grammar—Specimen of the Tejano—The Tepehuana—Tepehuana Grammar and Lord's Prayer—Acaxée and its Dialects, The Topia, Sabaibo, and Xixime—The Zacatec, Cazcane, Mazapile, Huitcole, Guachichile, Colotlan, Tlaxomultec, Tecuexe, and Tepecano—The Cora and its Dialects, The Muutzicat, Teacuaeitzica, and Ateacari—Cora Grammar.
We now come to the four Aztec-Sonora languages before mentioned, the Cora, the Cahita, the Tepehuana, and the Tarahumara, and their neighbors. I have already said that notwithstanding the Aztec element contained in them, they are in no wise related to each other.
NUMEROUS LANGUAGES IN SINALOA.
In the northern part of Sinaloa, extending across the boundary into Sonora, the principal language is the Cahita, spoken in many dialects, of most of which nothing is transmitted to us. Numerous languages, which were perhaps only dialects, are named in this region, and by some classed with the Cahita, but the information regarding them is vague and contradictory. No vocabularies or other specimens of them can be obtained, nor can I find anywhere mention that any were ever written. Of these there are the Zoe, the Guazave, the Vacoregue, the Batucari, the Aibino, the Ocoroni, which are mentioned as related, as also the Zuaque and Tehueco, and the Comoporis and Ahome. There are also the Mocorito and Petatlan, both distinct; the Huite, the Ore, the Varogio, the Tauro, the Macoyahui, the Troe, the Nio, the Cahuimeto, the Tepague, the Ohuero, the Chicorata, the Basopa, and two distinct tongues spoken at the Mission San Andres de Conicari, and four at the Mission of San Miguel do Mocorito.[VIII'-1] The only dialects of the Cahita, regarding which a few notes exist, and which at the same time appear to have been the principal ones, according to the best authorities, are the Mayo, Yaqui, and Tehueco.[VIII'-2] The Cahita language is copious, but will not readily express polite sentiments.[VIII'-3] Father Ribas says that the Yaquis always speak very loudly and arrogantly, and that when he asked them to lower their voice, they answered: "Dost thou not see that I am a Yaqui?" which latter word signifies, 'he who speaks loudly.'[VIII'-4]
A grammar of the Cahita was written in the year 1737, of which I give here an extract. The alphabet consists of the following letters: a, b, ch, e, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, v, y, z, tz.
There are three declensions; two for nouns, and the third for adjectives. To the first belong those words which end in a vowel, and also the participles ending with me and u; to the second, those ending with a consonant. Nouns ending with a vowel, and adjectives, form the plural by appending an m to the singular;—tabu, rabbit; tabum, rabbits. Those ending with a consonant affix im, and those ending with t affix zim;—paros, hare; parosim, hares; uikit, bird; uikitzim, birds. The personal pronouns are: inopo, neheriua, neheri, nehe, ne, I; itopo, iteriua, itee, te, we; empo, eheriua, eheri, ehee, e, thou; empom, emeriua, emeri, emee, em, you; uahaa, uahariua, uahari, he; uameriua, uameri, uamee, im, they.
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO LOVE.
| PRESENT INDICATIVE. | |||
| I love, | ne eria | We love, | te eria |
| Thou lovest, | e eria | You love, | em eria |
| He loves, | eria | They love, | im eria |
| IMPERFECT. | PERFECT. | ||
| I loved, | ne eriai | I have loved, | ne eriak |
| PLUPERFECT. | FIRST FUTURE. | ||
| I had loved, | ne eriakai | I shall love, | ne erianake |
| SECOND FUTURE. | |||
| I shall have loved, | ne eriasunake | ||
| IMPERATIVE. | |||
| Love thou, | e eria, or e eriama | ||
| Let him love, | eria, or eriama | ||
| Love you, | em eriabu, or em eriamabu | ||
| Let them love, | im eriabu, or im eriamabu | ||
| PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE. | |||
| If I love, | ne eriauaua, or eriana | ||
| OPTATIVE. | |||
| O that I may love, | netziyo eriayo | ||
| PRESENT PARTICIPLE. | |||
| Loving, | eriakari, eriayo, eriako, or eriakako | ||
| INFINITIVE PASSIVE. | |||
| To be loved, | erianaketeka, or erianakekari | ||
| He who loves, | eriame | He who was loved, | eriau |
| He who has loved, | eriakame | He who had loved, | eriakau |
| He who will love, | erianakeme | ||
Of the many prepositions I only insert the following:—