GRAMMAR OF THE TARAHUMARA LANGUAGE.
East of the Cahita, in the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, and Durango, an uncivilized and barbarous people inhabit the Sierra Madre, who speak the Tarahumara tongue, which contains the same Aztec element as the Cahita, but is otherwise, as previously stated, a distinct language. The principal dialects are the Varogio, Guazapare and Pachera.[VIII'-6] The Tarahumara is a rather difficult language to acquire, mainly owing to its pronunciation. The final syllables of words are frequently omitted or swallowed, and sometimes even the first syllables or letters. The accentuation also differs much, nouns generally being accentuated on the penultimate, and verbs on the ultimate. The alphabet consists of the following letters: a, b, ch, e, g, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, v, y. These letters, and also the following grammatical remarks refer specially to the language as spoken in Chinipas. Other dialects have the letter h in place of j or r, and z for s. The plural of nouns is formed by duplicating a syllable;—mukí, woman; mumukí, women; or, in some cases an adverb, indicating the plural, is appended. Patronymics form the plural, by duplicating the last syllable. The particle gua also indicates the plural. The possessive case is formed by annexing the syllable ra to the thing possessed;—Pedro bukúra, house of Pedro. Comparatives are expressed by adding the terminal be;—gara, good; garabé, better; and superlatives by simply putting a heavier accent on the comparative terminal;—reré, low; rerebé, lower; rerebéé, lowest. Personal pronouns are: nejé, I; mujé, thou; senú, he; tamujé or ramujé, we; emejé or emé, you; güepuná, they.
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO COUNT.
| PRESENT INDICATIVE. | |||
| I count, | nejé tará | We count, | ramujé tará |
| Thou countest, | mujé tará | You count, | emejé tará |
| He counts, | senú tará | They count, | guepuná tará |
| PERFECT. | PLUPERFECT. | ||
| I have counted, | nejé taráca | I had counted, | nejé tarayéque |
| FIRST FUTURE. | SECOND FUTURE. | ||
| I shall count, | nejé tarára | I shall have counted, | nejé taragópera |
| IMPERATIVE. | |||
| Count thou, | tará | Let them count, | tarára |
| Count you, | tarási | Do not count, | caté tarási |
| Let us count, | tarayéque | ||
| PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE. | |||
| If I count, | sonecá tarára | If we count, | sotamenecá tarára |
| If thou count, | somucá tarára | If they count, | sopucá tarára |
| If he count, | sosenucá tarára | ||
| IMPERFECT. | |||
| If I did count, | sonecá tarareyéque | ||
| He who counts, | tarayámeque | They who have to count, | taraméri |
| Counting, | taroyó | He who has to count, | tarabéri |
| Having counted, | taraságo[VIII'-7] | ||
Of the different dialects there are five specimens, all Lord's Prayers, a comparison of which will show their variations. The first is from Father Steffel:
Tamí Nonó, mamú reguí guamí gatíkí, tamí noinéruje mú reguá seliméa rekíjena, tamí neguáruje mú jelalikí henná guetschikí, mapú hatschíbe réguega quamí. Tamí nutútuje hipelâ, tamí guecáuje tamí guikelikí, matamé hatschíbe réguega tamí guecáuje putsé tamí guikejámeke, ké tá tamí sátuje, telegatígameke mechcá hulá. Amen.
The second is from Tellechea, who lived in Chinipas and at Zapópan:
Tamú nonó repá regiiegáchi atígameque muteguárarí santo níreboa, mu semárarí regiiegáchi atigá, tamú jurá muyerarí jenagiiichíqui mapú regiiegá eguarígua repá regiiegáchi. Sesenú ragiiê tamú nitugára, jipe ragiiê tamí nejá, tami cheligiie tamucheína yorí yomá matameregiiegiá, cheligué tamú ayoriguámeque uché mapú requí chàti ju mecá mu jurá, mapú tamí tayoràbua quéco.
The third is in the dialect spoken in the district of Mina: