It may be of some interest to remark here that the only dialect among the large number compared above that employs the term “sky” for blue is the M’mat (20); in this dialect m’mái signifies “sky”, while m’mái or m´mai-cojoshuñiá (literally, “sky color”) denotes “blue”.
| SERIAN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | Old | Young | |
| A. | kó`pol | kma`kōk (man) kŭnkai´e (woman) | sepía` (man) |
| B. | kôpcht | ikomákolch | siip |
| C. | kohoχp | ||
| D. | {kmakoj (man) {konkabre (woman) | sip; psip=“boy” | |
| YUMAN | |||
| I. | tipyc̲h̲e (tipyχ´e) | oosing | wanju |
| II. | calá | acusó | |
| IV. | gala | {whanu=“child, young one” {wakna, misprint for wáhna (Laymon) | |
| 2. | n’shava | velhé (Laymon) | ba (Laymon) |
| 4. | hemaál | kuraácks | homarsh |
| 5. | χemálye | {kureáks (man) {akoís (woman) | meχaís |
| 6. | nimesam | kvoraaga | ipa |
| 7. | {n’ymahsava (Mowry) {n’yamasába (Gibbs) | {kwirirark (Mowry) {kwarraák (Gibbs) | {mess-ser-haik (Mowry) {messerháik (Gibbs) |
| 8. | yimeusava | quaráki | issintaie=“one” |
| 9. | nyamasába | {kwadaä´k (man) {kwakuyá (woman) {atatayútca=“ancestors” | maháia (man) |
| 10. | nimesav | patáiga | heméiga |
| 11. | {pagataíya (Gilbert)= { “young man” {kamûdûmû (Gilbert)= { “young woman” | {hamě´ (Gilbert)= { “young man, boy” {mŭmsĭ (Gilbert)= { “young woman, girl” | |
| 12. | hamarlk | ||
| 13. | hmal | koorchak | amahai |
| 14. | nomosháb | umáu | itmam |
| 15. | yem’súp | quirruck | ikutkuspírr |
| 16. | nemschap | qurruk | quomiek |
| 17. | eemschap | koorak | quel |
| 18. | nyuměsábi | {bělhéi (man) {kûmûhwĭ´dûmûr (woman) | |
| 19. | niměsáva | ||
| 20. | jamallgue | curaácca (man) | iepac |
| 21. | ĭmĭcápa | {pělhé (man) {pakí (woman) | pahŭrmŭ´rrě hatcě´n (woman) |
| 22. | nyemesáwe | ||
| 23. | umesap | pahtai | pakookeechap |
| 24. | ném’shap | querak | quenacui (woman) |
| 24a. | nĭr-mishăh | korák | {hequál (man) {hatcĭ´n (woman) |
The group of Serian names for the color “white” have no phonetic accordances with the collated Yuman terms of like meaning.
Of the compared groups of Serian and Yuman names for “old” and “young” it may be well to remark that in both some of the terms recorded mean simply “man”, “woman”, without regard to age, or “large, great man” (Seri A, B, D, and Yuman 6, 9, 10, 21, 23, 24. In number 21 paki signifies simply “woman”, regardless of age. Yuman number 8 signifies “one”, not “young”). This cursory comment shows how untrustworthy much of this material is. It is evident that there is here no proof of genetic linguistic relationship between the Seri and the Yuman languages.
| SERIAN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great, large | Small | Good | Bad, ill | |
| A. | -gehkpa | |||
| B. | kakkolch | kipk’ha | kîpi | homîip; miph’la |
| C. | kakkoχ´ | {kip’χχa; kissilχ´ | χeppe | χ’omipla (kmipl̃a, “bitter”) |
| D. | kakoj | |||
| YUMAN | ||||
| I. | c̲h̲ai,(=χ´ai) | ac̲h̲tawan =aχá´tawan), “young” | taip | taipena |
| II. | cáokoo | cánil | ahámi | aminllí (=amiñyi) |
| IV. | ká (Laymon) | {ami {tahipo}(Laymon) {tahipe | {ambiñyi {may (Laymon) | |
| 2. | {vete (Laymon); { bite | gatye | {khane {ahónni | kalyeve |
| 4. | otía | n’yokek | hoátk’ | nyoymik |
| 5. | wetáym | nokík | χotk | nyomík |
| 6. | vataim | itáuk | akhotk | alaik |
| 7. | {veltakík (Mowry) {meltaim (Gibbs) {hōmmék=“tall” | {anchoik {hitáuk | {ahhoteka {ahōt’k | {munnaik {elhōtmuk; elláik |
| 8. | h’watai | echitawa | epache-hoti= “good men” | pipach-ilhotim= “bad men” |
| 9. | veltáia; ohumik =“tall” | hitchaúwa | ahót | alai |
| 10. | vatega | ketiga | akhánega | hianomaga |
| 12. | oteique | onoc oque | ahotekah; ahotk | haloolk |
| 13. | btek | qunnuk | ẖanna | enoimi |
| 14. | igu | iltik | khan | ikútsikhlitch |
| 15. | aquacktàiye | el mâam | h’hun | w’hlitch |
| 17. | quotai | leepist | mooẖoi | oorap |
| 16. | attih | el marm | k’hun | witlitch |
| 18. | taya; ta; hěmí | kě´chi | háni, hánikûm | kalěpi |
| 19. | táyake; věté | kitie | háne | χ´ělé´pě |
| 20. | bettáic | n’noc | ajótk | l’láic |
| 22. | weté | kétye | hané | helépe |
| 23. | etai | mootit | mgai | hoogloi |
| 24. | ecúy | halyemuck | quahan | qual-hitch |
In the comparison of the adjectives “great, large” there is a single apparent accordance between the two groups, and that is between the Cochimi cáokoo and the several Serian terms. The Laymon form indicates that the stem is ka or cá; but an analysis of the Serian words shows that kolch, koχ´ or koj (for koχ´) is their base, the initial ka being merely a pronominative, as may be seen from an inspection of the compared lists of attributives or adjective elements in the Seri groups, including the color-names. Now, Mr Bartlett writes in the same list with cáokoo, calka, “a lake” = “water, large”, accenting the cá, “great, large”; and his “small” is cá-ñil=“great not”.
Comparing Dr Gabb’s χai, “great, large”, and ka or cá, on the one hand, with the Kiliwee kootai and kute in sal-kootai and pah-kute, “thumb” or “large finger”, and “chief” or “large, great man”, and with the Kiliwee etai, “great, large” on the other, it becomes evident that cá is a curtailed form of kootai (kute), as etai is. The cáokoo of Mr Bartlett evidently signifies something more than “large, great”; it may possibly mean “large house”—i. e., cáuaka, or “large earth, ground”—i. e., cáakug, or it may be a cognate of Gabb’s eχkaikang, “high mountain”. But nevertheless its derivation has been demonstrated so as to show that it has nothing in common with Serian terms.
There is likewise no phonetic relationship between the Serian and the Yuman words denoting “small”, and this is also true of those signifying “good”, “bad”, and “ill”. These four comparative lists then show no genetic relationship.
| SERIAN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Die, dead | Wood, tree | ||
| A. | ak`, hak` | -amŭkŭk | ahká-uhkă=“firewood” | |
| B. | ache (=aχ´`) | kochhe | {akáhoke=“wood” {eaomtkite | |
| C. | aχ´ (aχ´) | {ikoχχe=“die” {χuaχχ´e=“dead” | {akaχχ´ŭkŭă=“wood” {ehe=“a stick, palo” | |
| D. | ahj (ahχ´) | ehe=“arbol” | ||
| YUMAN | ||||
| I. | {kaχ´- (in kac̲h̲para, “sea”) {tasi; desi= “to drink” | epè | {wac̲h̲e=“tree” {aput=“wood” | |
| II. | cal | ybitá | allegcó=“wood” | |
| IV. | kahal; kalal (?) ibi; yibi (Laymon) | |||
| 1. | ahá, aháa | epíga | ||
| 2. | aha | nevaye; bi=“dead” | i-i=“tree, wood” | |
| 3. | niluwhet; hahaw’l | {ihu=“tree” {inalch=“shrub” {iya=“wood” | ||
| 4. | háche | epúik (ipáik=“alive”) | {emabatách=“tree” {eeêche=“wood” | |
| 5. | χá | epúïk | {teísh=“tree” {iísh=“wood” | |
| 6. | akha | ipuik | aí=“tree” | |
| 7. | {ahá {ákhha (Gibbs) | {hippooik=“dead” {hippóik (Gibbs) | {ahah=“cottonwood” {ahee; a-í=“wood” (Gibbs) | |
| 8. | ahá | ichichiwoche=“tree” a-í=“wood” | ||
| 9. | aha | hipúik | ahaá=“tree”; aí=“wood” | |
| 10. | aháa | apíge | iíe=“tree” | |
| 11. | ha | haigopiga (Gilbert) | ||
| 12. | ahá | éeesh=“tree” e-ee; e-eetch=“wood” | ||
| 13. | ẖa (=χa) | puik | eekwsen; ee=“wood” | |
| 14. | akha | meley | akhakunau; il=“wood” | |
| 15. | h’ha | mispà | ilye; sin’yauquatài=“tree” | |
| 16. | ahah | mispah | e-ee; e-ee=“wood” | |
| 17. | ha (=χa) | m’s’pa | oochoẖ; ee=“wood, pine” | |
| 18. | ahá, ha | pih | iíh | |
| 19. | áha, há | bihi; bi; pi | ivi; i-i=“wood” | |
| 20. | já (χ´a) | opúic | eí=“wood” and “tree” | |
| 21. | ahá | ipapí | ii, akiŭl; iiruba=“wood” | |
| 22. | aha | hepi | ||
| 23. | aẖa (=aχa) | paspi | ẖaipak | |
| 24. | ah’há | mesapá | ily=“tree” | |
All the Serian words denoting “water” are monosyllabic and terminate with the k-sound or aspirated guttural χ, followed by the breath instant (to which the final e of Mr Bartlett’s orthography is equivalent). On the other hand, the vocables of the Yuman group of dialects invariably end in a vowel or a double vowel, and, in 24 out of 31 given forms, they are dissyllabic, several being trisyllabic. The Laymon form of the term is evidently the least affected by use, and jointly with the words numbered 5, 6, 7 (Gibbs), 13, 14, 17, and 23, shows the genetic character of the terminal vowel in the given words. These considerations render it probable that the apparently radical resemblance of the collated words is fortuitous and not at all genetic.