Where a noun terminates with the vowel in the singular, the addition of the g, or n, shows at once both the plural and the In other instances, as in peena, a partridge ; seebe, a gender. requires a consonant to precede conformity with a rule previously stated.

river ;

it

and seebe-wun.

the plural vowel, in

Thus peenal-wug Where the noun singular terminates in the

broad instead of the long sound of

;

in ogimau, a chief;

#, as

But these two of the above forms, and are by

ishpatinau^ a hill, the plural is ogim-aug, ishpatinaun.

are mere modifications of

no means entitled to be considered as additional plurals. There Comparatively few substantives are without number. from the of one use number. is, however, exception general This exception consists of the want of number in the third per son of the declensions of animate nouns, and the conjugation of Not that such words are destitute of number, animate verbs. in their simple forms, or when used under circumstances requir

no prefixes and no inflec ing no change of these simple forms at a be But it will tions. seen, glance, how very limited such an application must be in a transpositive language. Distinctions of number are founded upon a modification of the five vowel sounds.

Possessives are likewise founded upon

the basis of the vowel sounds.

There are five declensions of

the noun to mark the possessives, ending, in the possessive, in Where the nominative ends with a am, eem, im, om, um, oom.