The comparative list of names for “wing” in the Serian and the Yuman languages exhibits no satisfactory evidence of a genetic relationship between the collated vocables; in like manner there is no phonetic accordance whatever between the terms denoting “feather” in the two groups of words. It seems evident, however, that several of the Yuman words for “wing” and “feather” are phonetically mimetic onomatopes; compare whirrawhiuh (17) from Mr Parker’s San Tomas Mission Vocabulary, which is evidently an imitative word for the sound made by the wings of a bird (for example, of the California quail) in rapid motion.
In the collated schedule of names for “bird” there is lacking any phonetic accordances indicative of linguistic relationship between the languages compared.
| SERIAN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone | Leg | |||
| A. | míttag (like German “mittag”) | A. | attân attâqklem=“thigh” | |
| B. | hrehiták | B. | itahom | |
| C. | ittak | C. | {hitaχom=“thigh” {hippeχl=“leg” | |
| D. | D. | |||
| YUMAN | ||||
| 15. | âk | 2. | uata (Loew) impadi (White) | |
| 24. | ak | 1. | mópada | |
| 24a. | ák | 11. | mupata (Renshawe) | |
| 25. | āk | 19. | mpáda | |
| 26a. | ak | 6. | methílya | |
| I. | hak | 7. | {methilya (Gibbs)=“thigh” {meemay meethilya (?)=“upper { leg” | |
| 23. | ẖak | 10. | methil | |
| 27. | hăk | 20. | emé | |
| 17. | ok | 23. | eme | |
| 26b. | n’yak | 21. | emmí | |
| 18. | chiyä´ka | |||
| 21. | tciáka | |||
| 4. | escháques | |||
| 7. | n’eahsárk (Mowry) | 17. | mee | |
| 5. | shaaks | 13. | memae | |
| 13. | yoosak | 12. | meesith’l | |
| 8. | inyesake | 15. | emílye | |
| 20. | ndchashácq’ | 4. | emistilísh | |
| 10. | tiága | 3. | imyliwhy | |
| 19. | tiága | 16. | ewhitl | |
| 6. | uániga | 14. | iuilgh | |
| 3. | namsail | 24. | enyi-wílch | |
| 2. | kuévata | 18. | thimuwála | |
| 7. | esal-hiwa (Gibbs) | 5. | eskarowísh | |
| II. | acheso (Spanish?) | 8. | enesaquiwere | |
| 16. | micashsho | 9. | himetca-áma=“upper legs” | |
| 11. | siminoho (Gilbert) | |||
| I. | ma-nyak | |||
| II. | gelelepi | |||
| IV. | agannapaho (cf. “foot”) | |||
An examination of the several names for “bone” in the two groups of terms from the Seri and the Yuman tongues in the comparative list above reveals no trustworthy evidence of linguistic relationship between the two groups.
The same want of agreement between the two groups of terms purporting to denote “leg” in the Serian and the Yuman languages is manifest in the foregoing comparative list.
| SERIAN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood | Red | ||
| A. | á-it | A. | ka-ailqt |
| B. | âv’t | B. | ke-vilch |
| C. | av̌at | C. | kēveχ´l |
| D. | D. | kebls | |
| YUMAN | |||
| 9. | ahwátam | 22. | guate |
| 16. | ahwhat | 9. | awhát |
| 21. | awhát | 16. | h’what |
| 12. | awhút (Comoyei) | 21. | awhátěk |
| 25. | ă-whŭt | 12. | achawhut |
| 26. | a-whăt | 25. | whŭt |
| 14. | akhoat | 26. | whŭt |
| 6. | neghoata | 14. | khoat |
| 10. | tigval | 6. | aghóathum |
| 23. | t-quat | 10. | kokhoát |
| 15. | h’wat | 23. | oo-qual |
| 13. | ẖwat (ẖ=χ) | 15. | h’wát |
| 17. | ẖwat | 13. | ẖwat |
| 18. | hwat | 17. | ẖwat |
| 19. | hwát | 18. | chěhwáta |
| 11. | hwă´tigă | 19. | ahuáti |
| 2a. | hŭata | 27. | ěwhŭt |
| 3. | inuwhal | 2a. | awáti |
| 8. | nichwarte | 8. | awhát |
| 7. | n’yawhart (Mowry) | 7. | itchahhoata (Mowry) |
| 20. | niejuít (j=χ´) | 20. | cuicávojuít |
| 7. | yahwata (Gibbs) | 7. | echahuáta (Gibbs) |
| 2b. | kŭalayŭ | 2b. | kalyo |
| 4. | ehivetch | 4. | hivet |
| 5. | hiχwítsh | 5. | χwíttcem; gwíttem |
| I. | huat | I. | mac̲h̲c̲h̲uang (=maχχuang) |
| IV. | jueta | II. | mocao |
| II. | jued | IV. | mokó |
At first glance there seems to be some degree of relationship between the groups of terms signifying “blood” and “red” in the Serian and the Yuman tongues. But a discriminating examination of the words of the two collated lists seems to lead to the contrary conclusion.
It may be well to note that the difference between the Serian vocables denoting “blood” and those signifying “red” is that the latter have a prefixed kă- or kě- sound, in this resembling most other attributive terms in the language. This kă or kě is probably a pronominative element. The Seri forms of the name for “blood,” however, have no initial guttural prefix, and, owing to the lack of historical evidence, it is not possible to declare that the Seri word, as compared with the Yuman terms, has lost an initial guttural aspirate, which is apparently genetic in the Yuman words, as it is present in 27 of the 28 variants of the Diegueño (14) khoat and Mohave (9) ahwat cited in the list. This is emphasized by the fact that the guttural aspirate remains unchanged whether the term denotes “blood” or, metaphorically, “red”. The Yuman word apparently has no distinctively adjective or attributive form. This is evidently in direct contrast with the Seri word, in which the attributive form is initially and terminally different from the form of the word employed as the name for “blood”. These considerations strongly militate against the assumed linguistic relationship between the Serian terms denoting, concretely, “blood”, and, metaphorically, “red”, on the one hand, and the Yuman vocables of like signification on the other.
| SERIAN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow (brown) | Green | Black | Blue | |
| A. | {móssolqt {komassolt (brown) | kóilqlh | kópolt | kóilqlh |
| B. | k´másol | kovilch | kopolcht | válch-kopolch |
| C. | kmassol̃χ´ | kovül̃χ´; χpanams | kopoχ´l (dark) | kovül̃χ´ |
| D. | kmozol | kobslh | jikopohl (darkness) (j=χ) | |
| YUMAN | ||||
| I. | simarai | manac̲h̲ui | ic̲h̲c̲h̲ara | c̲h̲angmangc̲h̲uiai |
| II. | yembil | mosoo | akal | |
| 2. | kŭase | ilvi | nya | aveshŭve |
| 4. | aques | hashamelavî´k | mîlk | habashû´ck |
| 5. | kwíssem | verrevèrs | nyílk | χaweshúk |
| 6. | agoathum | havesug | vanilgh | havasug |
| 7. | {okwarthi (Mowry) {akwátha Gibbs) | havasook amatk | whenyaeelkh hwainyēlk | havasook havasóke |
| 8. | akwahum | timahóchi | naailk | avisuk |
| 9. | akwátha | habasó | hwanyilý | habasó |
| 10. | agoathega | nyágh | ashuuga | |
| 12. | aquesque | atsowoo surche | quimele; | hawoo surche |
| 13. | quas | h̲b̲soo | nyil | h̲b̲soo |
| 14. | akhoas | kaposhu | nilgh | kaposhu |
| 15. | quas | h’pashu | qu’n’ylch | h’pashu |
| 17. | quos | ẖpshoo | ny̲il | h’pashoo |
| 16. | quass | quass | netl | hupshu |
| 18. | akwátha | haběsúwi | nyä´chi; nyä | haběsúwi |
| 19. | kuáthi | kuáthi | iniä´ | havěshúvi |
| 20. | accuésque | jabashúc | ñiellgue | m’mai; m’mai cojoshuñiá |
| 21. | aquássŭk | aquás | hapíli | habĭshú |
| 22. | akwátha | gawesúwe | nyátie | gavesúwe |
| 23. | koosai | emelsoo | nyeg | emelsoo |
| 24. | ahapeshu | qu’nilch | ahapeshú | |
These comparative schedules of color-names denoting “yellow or brown”, “green”, “black, darkness”, and “blue”, collated from the Serian and the Yuman languages, exhibit no phonetic accordances which would be indicative of linguistic kinship between the two groups of languages compared.