History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River
If we would know to what class of conjugations a word It will be belongs, we must inquire how the plural is made.
borne in mind that all verbs, like all substantives, either termi nate in a vowel sound, or, where they do not, that a vowel sound must be added in making the plural, in order that it may serve as a coalescent for the epicene g or the anti-epicene
.
Thus man, inine^ is rendered men, ininewug, not by adding the
w
before it, making simple epicene plural ug, but by throwing a the plural in wug. So paup^ to laugh, is rendered plural in wug^
and not ug ; whilst minnis, an island, sebens^ a brook, and all words ending in a consonant, take the regular anti-epicene plural in un.
The rule that in syllabication a vowel should
follow a consonant is indeed universal.
The arrangement of the vowelic classes is so important to any correct view of the grammar of the language, and is, at the same time, so regular, euphonious, and philosophical, that it
on the mind, by presenting a tabular
will impress it the better
view of it.
t
CORRESPONDING CLASSES OF VERBS. Epicene Substantives. 1.
2.
Words ending in " " " "
3'
"... '*'" .
.
"
5.
a .
.
.
"... .
4.
PLURAL INFLECTIONS.
...
e i
.
o
u
.... ... .... ... .... .... ... ....
ag eg i'g
6g ug
Anti-epicene Substantives.
i.
3.
4. 5.