In the Serian list of names for “wood” two different words are given, and a third occurs meaning “tree”, perhaps “shrub”. This third word, ehe, is very probably an exotic in the list, and is seemingly of Yuman origin, through its substitution by a Yuman-speaking interpreter for the proper Seri word. The correct term is probably contained in the other word given, ahkáuhkă, “firewood” (McGee); a-ká-hoke, “wood” (Bartlett); akaχχ´ŭkŭŭ, “wood”, Spanish “leña” (Pinart). The base of the word is evidently ahka, a-ka, or aka, signifying “wood”, while uhka, hoke, or χχ´ŭkŭě, is the attributive, meaning “dead” (compare ikoχχe, “to die”, χuaχχ´e, “dead”, kochhe, “dead”). Hence, the compound signifies “dead wood” or “dead timber”, and the correct Seri word for “wood” is very probably ahka, or aka. In giving the names of the time periods M Pinart records an expression that confirms the foregoing analysis. The word in question koneheχkŭě ishshaχ´, which signifies the month in which “se seca el pasto”—i. e., the month “the grass dries, becomes sere”. Now, the element, heχkŭě is evidently identical with χχ´ŭkŭă above, and this rendering should be “the month the grass dies”. Thus it would seem that the term ehe, not being a native Seri word, does not serve to establish relationship with the Yuman.

The compared list of the Serian and the Yuman vocables purporting to denote “die, dead”, show no tokens of relationship.

SERIAN
Sky (the heavens)Rain (cloud)
A.{a-mě´m-ma
{a-měm-ma kwŭ-ĭ´k-pok
{a-měm-ma kŭm-ŭn-kewt-na= “horizon”		{khópka=“rain”; okáltta=“cloud”
{kŭthla=“fog”
B.a-mî-meip´kakaokuk=“heavy rain” (?)
C.amimme=“sky, heaven”{hipka=“rain, shower”
{χoopka=“it is raining”
{okala kχuauom=“it is cloudy”
D.ammime{ipka=“rain”
{okaxla=“cloud”
YUMAN
21.akwarrabóka
8.iquikowawakochain
2.o´kve okenediakivo; kiva, kiwa
3.amahaishunat
24.amâiequi
13.amaik´wus
9.amáiakubaúk; kubaugě=“it is raining”
12.ammaimuhheé; ikwi=“cloud”
10.amayaákivvoga
6.amayakovauk
1.hámasia=“heavens”ékwi mädshiga
23.emmaiquicha
I.embai
15.mâipaou
16.mai (i in like)pow
17.maiqui
4.mâicheoaûk
5.maish
14.mayikvny
11.maya (Renshawe)kw´voga
20.mmáiobáuc
22.meya
11.miyá (Gilbert)
7.{ummmayya
{ummáia		{coolowwa; hobauk (Yuma)
{kobauk
18.ûmiyä´ikwiwó=“rain”; ikwí=“clouds”
19.ěkwi=“clouds”; tíwo=“rain”; ekwariga=“the sky is cloudy”

While the seeming resemblance between the Yuman terms for “sky, heaven”, and the Serian vocables of the same meaning is more apparent than real, yet the kinship of the Seri with the Yuman group of languages has been conjectured upon data of which this merely fortuitous similarity was made a factor.

The derivation of the characteristic Yuman term amai, the variants of which constitute, with the exception of three vocables, the entire list here compared, is evidently from the stem of the Mohave amail, “above, on top”, amaile, “higher”, the Yavapai miävi, “up”, and also the Yuma (Bennett’s MS.), amiki, “over”. In the number-names, such as those for “eleven” and “twelve”, this vocable becomes maik and maga in Maricopa, in Bartlett’s Coco-Maricopa, and in Cochimi, and maike in Hummockhave, amike in Yuma (Bennett’s MS.), umaiga and umai in M’mat, amaik in Mohave (Gibbs), mae in Kutchan, amaik in Kutchan (Englehardt), emmia in Santa Catalina; in all the number-names in which these variants occur they have a single meaning, namely, “above, over, on top, added to, plus”. Thus it is evident that the Yuman variants of amai, “sky, the heavens”, are cognate with the auxiliaries or flexions of number-names cited above. Hence, originally the Yuman concept of the “sky” was “the place above, the higher place, or the place on top”.

The derivation of the Seri vocable amime or aměmma, “sky, the heavens”, while bearing only a fortuitous resemblance to the Yuman terms noted above, is not traceable from the meager material at present accessible. Strictly speaking, the extent of the phonetic similarity between the Yuman and the Seri vocable is the possession of an m-sound in the first syllable, which is evidently the dominant one in the Yuman terms. On the other hand, the Serian vocable has two syllables dominated by the m-sound, and the foregoing explanation of the derivation of the Yuman vocable, if correct, as it seems to be, does not supply any means for explaining this duality of syllables dominated by an m-sound in the Serian term. For unlike the Yuman dialects of the present the Seri tongue does not duplicate the stem of a word or any part thereof for any purpose whatsoever (though in the past the Seri may or may not have had the duplicative process, for a language can not only do what it is accustomed to do, but may at all times acquire new habits). So it would seem that without historical evidence to support it this comparison is invalid as an indication of linguistic kinship between the vocables compared, and its evidence regarding the conjectured relationship of the two groups of languages is negative.

SERIAN
SunMoonFireEarth
A.sěáhkesschahka`má`kăŭmmt; e`k=“dust”
B.schraisahamakinocham’t
C.shaaishshaχ´amak{ashamt=“clay, adobe”
{hamt=“the earth”
D.rahj; tahjamakampte
YUMAN
I.epan̲g̲kongamaahraēmat
II.ybokaglimbákusiakug
III.ibo
IV.ibo; ibunga (Laymon)gamma; ganehmajenusiamet; ammet
1.inyáahäláaoóo
2.nyáh´lá; hallá (White)hoo; weya (White)mata
3.inughhailiyugheya; ahimuat
4.enn´yachehalyáchen´yakiémmáche
5.nyasχilás; χaláshahausmát
6.anyáhalyáaáuaamata
7.{unya
{u̲nyá (Gibbs)		{huala
{hálla (Gibbs)		{ahowwa
{aáuwa (Gibbs)		{amata
{am-má-ta (Gibbs)
8.anyahalyachiwasweá-i
9.anyáhályaaáuwaamat; tciáma
10.inyaáhalá atugamat
11.nya (Gilbert)hla (Gilbert)otoga (Gilbert)
12.m’yatchehuth’lya; hullyaraáwoōmut amáth (Bennett)
13.ẖuya; hnya?ẖallaow a-má-ta
14.inyákhilshiááuamat
15.n’yahulchyáaáoumut
16.enyahhutl’yahquumut
17.nyah’klamatuanapmot
18.nyähaláoóhmat; amát; máte
19.nyávi; nyá’láwe; ’láóoamat; mata
20.nyájelláaáuh’mát
21.n’yahŭlláâá; itshi= “coals”mät
22.enyahaláohó
23.eñaiẖalaaauomot
24.enn’yachipáphelchhyáaáouumát

The comparative schedules of the Serian names for “sun” and “moon” exhibit no phonetic evidence of genetic relationship with the collated lists of Yuman vocables of like import.

Between the Serian names for “fire” and the Yuman terms of like import there is no phonetic accordance indicative of glottologic kinship.

It has been supposed, and not without a measure of possibility, that a radical relationship exists between the Serian and the Yuman words denoting “earth”. The supposition rests on the approximate phonetic accordance of two consonants occurring in these terms, quite regardless of the vowel sounds that render them intelligible. The four Seri authorities are in close accord in not hearing and recording a vowel sound between the m and the following t. This final t is apparently explosive, indicated by Mr Bartlett with a prefixed apostrophe and by Sr Tenochio with an e, whose final position would make it faint. The initial h of the record of M Pinart is very probably due to the Yuman-speaking interpreter. Now, in the 26 forms of the Yuman word here collated the vowel intervening between the m and t of the Yuman vocable is strong and characteristic, and in 11 instances it is accented. While the Seri forms are monosyllables, 17 of the 28 Yuman examples are dissyllabic and 3 are trisyllables. The Cocopa muat indicates the persistency of the medial vowel. These differences, admittedly but poorly indicated by the faulty alphabets employed by the several word collectors, are important and significant; were the several terms here compared faithfully recorded as spoken, by means of a discriminative phonetic alphabet, it seems probable that these literal accordances, in view of the marked differences noted above, would disappear. So in the absence of historical evidence of the genetic relationship of the Serian and the Yuman words denoting “earth”, it seems best to regard this literal accordance as fortuitous rather than real or genetic.