EXTRACT FROM THE COAHUILTEC GRAMMAR.
The letters used are a, c, ch, e, g, h, i, j, l, m, n, o, p, q, s, t, u, y, tz. The pronunciation is similar to that of some of the people who inhabit the Northwest Coast, as the Nootkas, Thlinkeets, and others. A kind of clicking sound produced with the tongue, which García designates by an apostrophe, thus—c', q', t', p', l'. The c', and q', are pronounced with a rasping sound from the root of the tongue; t' with a click with the point of the tongue against the teeth, etc. There is no plural in the language except such as is expressed by the words many, all, and some. Pronouns are tzin, I; jamin, or am, thou; nami, mine; ja, thine; jami, ours. Interrogation is expressed by the letter e after the verb;—japtû pôé? are you a father? po being the verb. Negation is expressed by ojua, if it stands for 'no' alone, but if it is joined to a verb it is expressed by ajâm following the verb, and if the verb ends with a vowel, by yajâm. The Tejano is divided into several dialects which vary chiefly in the different pronunciation of some words: as for che they say chi, or so for se, cue instead of co, etc. The following soul-winning dogma with the translation is given as a specimen of the language.
Mej t' oajâm pitucuêj pînta pilapâm chojâi pilchê guatzamôjuajâmaté, pilâpajuáj sauj chojai: Mej t' oajâm pitucuêj pilapôujpacô san paj guajátam atê; talôm apnán pan t' oajâm tucuet apcué tucué apajái sanché guasáyajám: sajpám pinapsá pitachîjô, mai cuân tzam aguajtá, namo, namo t' oajâm tucuém mâisájâc mem; t' ájacat mem jatâlam ajam é?
And there in hell there is nothing to eat, nor any sleep, nor rest; there is no getting out of hell; the great fire of hell will never be finished. If thou hadst died with those sins, thou wouldst be already there in hell; then, why art thou not afraid?[VIII'-15]
The Tubar is another idiom which was spoken near the head-waters of the Rio Sinaloa. Ribas affirms that two totally distinct languages are spoken by this people. From a Lord's Prayer preserved in this tongue Mr Buschmann after careful comparison has concluded that the Tubar is another member of the Aztec-Sonora group, showing, as it does, unmistakeable Aztec traces. I insert the Lord's Prayer with translation.
Ite ( Our ) cañar ( father ) tegmuecarichin ( heaven in ) catemat ( art ) imit ( thy ) tegmuarat ( name ) militurabà teochigualac; ( be praised; ) imit ( thy ) huegmica ( kingdom ) carin iti ( us to ) bacachinassisaguin, ( come, ) imit ( thy ) avamunarir ( will ) echu ( here ) nañigualac ( be done ) imo ( as ) cuigan ( well as ) amo ( there ) nachic ( is done ) tegmuecarichin; ( heaven; ) ite ( our ) cokuatarit ( bread ) essemer taniguarit ( daily ) iabba ( to-day ) ite ( us ) micam; ( give; ) ite ( our ) tatacoli ( sins ) ikiri ( forgive ) atzomua ( as ) ikirirain ( we forgive ) ite ( us ) bacachin ( against ) cale ( evil ) kuegmua ( previously ) nañiguacantem ( have done ) caisa ( not ) ite ( us ) nosam ( lead ) baca ( in ) tatacoli ( sin ) bacachin ( of ) ackirò ( evil ) muetzerac ( deliver ) ite.[VIII'-16] ( us. )
The following is a Lord's Prayer of the Tubar dialect spoken in the district of Mina in Chihuahua.
Hite cañac temo calichin catema himite muhará huiturabá santoñetará himitemoh acarí hay sesahui hitebacachin hitaramaré hechinemolac amo cuira pan amotemo calichin hítecocohatari éseme tan huaric. Llava hitemicahin tatacoli higuíli hite nachi higuiriray hitebacach in calquihuan nehun conten hitehohui caltehue cheraca tatacol bacachin hiqu ipó calquihuá ñahuité baquit ebacachin calaserac. Amen Jesus.[VIII'-17]
TEPEHUANA GRAMMAR.