OROTIÑA CONJUGATIONS.
Besides the Aztec, which I have already spoken of in a previous chapter, there were four distinct languages spoken in Nicaragua:—The Coribici, Chorotega, Chontal, and Orotiña.[XII'-6] Of the Orotiña, which Mr Squier calls the Nagrandan, I have the following grammatical notes.
Neither articles nor prepositions are expressed. The plural is formed by the affix nu;—ruscu, bird; ruscunu, birds. Comparatives and superlatives are expressed by mah, better or more, and pooru or puru, best or most;—meheña, good; ma-meheña, better; puru-meheña, best. Diminutives, or deficiency, are expressed by ai or mai;—ai-meheña or mai-meheña, bad or lacking good.
PRONOUNS.
| I | icu |
| We, masc. | hechelu |
| We, fem. | hecheri |
| Thou | ica |
| You, m. | hechela |
| You, f. | hechelai |
| He | icau |
| She | icagui |
| They, m. | icanu |
| They, f. | icagunu |
| That | cagui |
| Those | caguinu |
| This, m. | cala |
| This, f. | hala |
| These, m. | cadchinulu |
| These, f. | cadchici |
| Mine, m. | cugani |
| Mine, f. | icagani |
| Yours, m. | cutani |
| Yours, f. | icatani |
| His | cagani |
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB SA, TO BE.
| PRESENT INDICATIVE. | |||
| SINGULAR. | PLURAL. | ||
| I am, | sá | We are, | so |
| Thou art, | sá | You are, | soa |
| He is, | sá | They are, | sula |
| IMPERFECT. | |||
| I was, | caná | We were, | cananá |
| Thou wast, | caná | You were, | cananoá |
| He was, | caná | They were, | lacananá |
| PERFECT. | |||
| I have been, | sá cá | We have been, | sá cuá |
| Thou hast been, | sachu | You have been, | sá cnahi |
| He has been, | sacá | They have been, | sa gahu |
| PLUPERFECT. | |||
| I had been, | mucasini | Plural the same | |
| Thou hadst been, | mucanasini | ||
| He had been, | mucanasadini | ||
| FIRST FUTURE. | |||
| I shall be, | lamanambi | We shall be, | lamananna |
| SECOND FUTURE. | |||
| I shall have been, | malamana | We shall have been, | lamana |
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB AIHA, TIHA, AHIHA, TO COME.