You already know how to say sentences like “The buzzard is black , “namely Sha’ii nyillyches. But you have not yet learned how to say a sentence like “The black buzzard is big, ” or “This is a black buzzard .” You need to know how to make a phrase like “black buzzard . “You know the words for “buzzard, ” sha’ii, and for “black, ” nyilly. Now you must add ku – in front of nyilly, and you get kunyilly. This is a noun and actually means “the black one. “The whole phrase is sha’ii kunyilly , “the black buzzard, ” literally ” buzzard, the black one . ” When the word you must make into a noun begins with ‘_-, like ‘ehwatt “red, “you add kwa – in front of it, instead of ku -, and you get kwa ‘hwatt, “the red one . ” You can now say things like
Kun yilly
black one
‘ehatt kun yilly
black dog
Kuhepshiw
green one
haakwal kuhepshiw
green lizard
Kunemshap
white one
‘emekay kunemshap
white mouse
Kwa’hwatt
red one
‘ekwak kwa’hwatt
red deer
Kwa’kwas
yellow one
‘aashaa kwa’kwas
yellow bird¬
Kwa’stik
little one
milyaapan kwa’stik
little bat
Kwa’shash
pretty one
‘aashaa kwa’shash
pretty bird
Notice that if the word to which you add ku – or kwa – had an e in the next – to – last syllable, it drops out of the word.
Hepeshiw
kuhepshiw
‘ekwas
kwa’kwas
All ku – and kwa – words can be used alone like other nouns. So you can say
Kunemshap ‘estikches.
The white one is small.
You can add peyaa ‘ nyip, or puu at the end of these new phrases to get longer phrases like
Say and write the following sentences in ‘lipay Aa.
1. The red bird is little. 2. The white bird is big. 3. That is the little dog. 4. This little rattlesnake is black. 5. That green hummingbird is pretty. 6. This is the blue one.
In sentences like the ones we have just described , it is also OK to drop the ending –ches. This will still be understood to mean the same thing and would also be the best way to translate English sentences of the type “What a pretty bird ( that is)! “
Puu ‘aashaa kwa’shash! Or even ‘Aashaa kwa’ahash!
Exercise 3
Take the sentences of Experiences 1 and 2 ; say them without -ches, and give all possible English translation.
Exercise 4
Translate into ‘lipay Aa ( without -ches).
1. What a big whale this is! 2. That is a white deer. 3. What a happy girl ! 4. It’s a green frog ! 5. This is a horned toad. 6. It’s a red one.