Western Scenes and Reminiscences Part 31

Mudjee pimmaudizziwin, His bad tenor of life.

To place these forms in the comparative degree, nahwudj, _more_, is prefixed to the adjective; and the superlative is denoted by _mahmowee_, an adverb, or an adjective as it is variously applied, but the meaning of which, is, in this connexion, _most_. The degrees of comparison may be therefore set down as follows:--

_Positive_, Kisheda, Hot, (restricted to the heat of a fire.) _Comp._ Nahwudj Kisheda, More hot.

_Super._ Mahmowee Kisheda, Most hot.

Your manner of life is good, Ke dizzihewabizziwin onishishin.

Your manner of life is better, Ke dizzhewabizziwin nahwudj onishishin.

Your manner of life is best, Ke dizzhewabizziwin mahmowee onishishin.

His manner of life is best, Odizzhewabizziwin mahmowee onishishinine.

Little Turtle was brave, Mikkenokons songedaabun.

Tec.u.mseh was braver, Tec.u.mseh nahwidj songedaabun.

Pontiac was bravest, Pontiac mahmowee songedaabun.

3. The adjective a.s.sumes a negative form when it is preceded by the adverb. Thus the phrase songedaa, he is brave, is changed to, Kahween songedaasee, he is not brave.

_Positive._ _Negative._

Neebwaukah, Kahween neebwaukah-see, He is wise. He is not wise.

Kwonaudjewe, Kahween kwonaudjewe-see, She is handsome. She is not handsome.

Oskineegee, Kahween oskineegee-see, He is young. He is not young.

Shaugweewee, Kahween Shaugweewee-see, He is feeble. He is not feeble.

Geekkau, Kahween Geekkau-see, He is old. He is not old.

Mushkowizzi, Kahween Mushkowizzi-see, He is strong. He is not strong.

From this rule the indeclinable adjectives--by which is meant those adjectives which do not put on the personal and impersonal forms by inflection, but consist of radically different roots--form exceptions.

Are you sick? Ke dahkoozzi nuh?

You are not sick! Kahween ke dahkoozzi-see!

I am happy. Ne minwaindum.

I am unhappy. Kahween ne minwuinduz-see.

His manner of life is bad. Mudjee izzhewabizzi.

His manner of life is not bad. Kahween mudjee a izzhewabizzi-see.

It is large. Mitshau muggud.

It is not large. Kahween mitshau-seenon.

In these examples the declinable adjectives are rendered negative in see. The indeclinable, remain as simple adjuncts to the verbs, and the _latter_ put on the negative form.

4. In the hints and remarks which have now been furnished respecting the Chippewa adjective, its powers and inflections have been shown to run parallel with those of the substantive, in its separation into animates and inanimates,--in having the p.r.o.nominal inflections,--in taking an inflection for tense--(a topic, which, by the way, has been very cursorily pa.s.sed over,) and in the numerous modifications to form the compounds. This parallelism has also been intimated to hold good with respect to number--a subject deeply interesting in itself, as it has its a.n.a.logy only in the ancient languages, and it was therefore deemed best to defer giving examples till they could be introduced without abstracting the attention from other points of discussion.

Minno and mudjee, good and bad, being of the limited number of personal adjectives, which modern usage permits being applied, although often improperly applied, to inanimate objects, they as well as a few other adjectives, form exceptions to the use of number. Whether we say a good man or a bad man, good men or bad men, the words minno and mudjee, remain the same. But all the declinable and coalescing adjectives--adjectives which join on, and, as it were, melt into the body of the substantive, take the usual plural inflections, and are governed by the same rules in regard to their use, as the substantive, personal adjectives requiring personal plurals, &c.

Adjectives Animate.

_Singular._

Onishishewe mishemin, Good apple.

Kwonaudjewe eekwa, Handsome woman.

Songedaa inine, Brave man.

Bishegaindaugoozzi peenasee, Beautiful bird.

Ozahwizzi ahmo, Yellow bee.

_Plural._

Onishishewe-wug mishemin-ug, Good apples.

Kwonaudjewe-wug eekwa-wug, Handsome women.

Songedaa-wug inine-wug, Brave men.

Bishegaindaugoozzi-wug peenasee-wug, Beautiful birds.

Ozahwizzi-wug ahm-og, Yellow bees.

Adjectives Inanimate.

_Singular._

Onishishin mittig, Good tree.

Kwonaudj tshemaun, Handsome canoe.

Monaudud ishkoda, Bad fire.

Weeshkobun aidetaig, Sweet fruit.

_Plural._

Onishishin-on mittig-on, Good trees.

Kwonaudjewun-on tshemaun-un, Handsome canoes.

Monaudud-on ishkod-an, Bad fires.

Weeshkobun-on aidetaig-in, Sweet fruits.

Peculiar circ.u.mstances are supposed to exist, in order to render the use of the adjective, in this connexion with the noun, necessary and proper.

But in ordinary instances, as the narration of events, the noun would precede the adjective, and oftentimes, particularly where a second allusion to objects previously named became necessary, the compound expressions would be used. Thus instead of saying the yellow bee, wayzahwizzid, would distinctly convey the idea of that insect, _had the species been before named_. Under similar circ.u.mstances kainwaukoozzid, agausheid songaunemud, mushkowaunemud, would respectively signify, a tall tree, a small fly, a strong wind, a hard wind. And these terms would become plural in _jig_, which, as before mentioned, is a mere modification of _ig_, one of the five general animate plural inflections of the language.

Kagat wahwinaudj abbenojeeug, is an expression indicating _they are very handsome children_. Bubbeeweezheewug monetosug, denotes _small insects_.

Minno neewugizzi, is good tempered, he is good tempered.

Mawshininewugizzi, is bad tempered, both having their plural in _wug_.

Nin nuneenahwaindum, I am lonesome. Nin nuneenahwaindaumin, we (excluding you) are lonesome. Waweea, is a term generally used to express the adjective sense of _round_. Kwy, is the scalp. (_Weenikwy_ his scalp.) Hence Weewukwon, hat; Wayweewukwonid, a wearer of the hat; and its plural Wayeewukwonidjig, wearers of the hats--the usual term applied to Europeans, or white men generally. These examples go to prove, that under every form in which the adjective can be traced, whether in its simplest or most compound state, it is susceptible of number.

The numerals of the language are converted into adverbs, by the inflection _ing_, making _one_, _once_, &c. The unit exists in duplicate.

Pazhik, One, general unit } Aubeding, Once.

Ingoot, One, numerical unit} Neesh, Two. Neeshing, Twice.

Niswee, Three. Nissing, Thrice.

Neewin, Four. Neewing, Four-times.

Naunun, Five. Nauning, Five-times.

N'goodwaswa, Six. N'goodwautshing, Six-times.

Neeshwauswa, Seven. Neeshwautshing, Seven-times.

Shwauswe, Eight. Shwautshing, Eight-times.