Page:An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language).djvu/569

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WORD BUILDING.
11

existing between the two languages which Prof. Chamberlain has not noted in his essay. What he has given, however, are fully sufficient to prove that the present Japanese tongue has no grammatical connection with Ainu. This fact may be fully and very interestingly emphasized by considering the manner in which the Ainu build up their words, illustrations of which it is now proposed to give.

(1) Aeiyukoikireyara. This word means “he sent him to set them at variance with each other over something.” The following is a chemical analysis of the word:—

ki, root meaning “do.”

i, an intensifying root meaning “severely;” “intently.”

iki, “to do intently” or “severely.”

ko, a root meaning “to” when used before some verbs.

koiki, “to scold;” “to beat;” “do severely to.”

u, root meaning “together” or “union” or “mutually.”

ukoiki, “to quarrel with each other.”

re, used as a suffix to verb expresses “cause.”

a, a root expressive of the past tense.

ukoikire, “to make quarrel.”

i, expressive of the 3rd personal pronoun “he.”

aiyukoikire, “make them quarrel with each other.” The y is added after the i for the sake of euphony only.

e, expressive of the objective case.

aeiyukoikire, “he made them quarrel with each other over something.”

yara, “to do through another;” “to send to do.”

aeiyukoikireyara, “he sent and set them at variance with each other over something.”

(2) Take now the word i(y)eyaikoemakbare “to forsake,” “to backslide.” It may be analized thus:—

i, 3rd. per. pro. nom. “they.”

e, (euphonically ye), 2nd, per. pro. obj. “him.”

yai, reflex. prop. “self” (from the root a, “to exist”).

ko, root meaning “to;” “with regard to.”