Linguistic Notes


6. Coyote and Quail

(6.2)

     1. naa[dloosh47 [this form appears in the text as naa[dloosh47 -- MEC] 'Coyote'. Another of the many nicknames for Coyote. [cf. note 1.1, 1]. naa[dloosh4 is a relative in -4 of, the 3rd person imp. of naa-|...[si- perf.]-dloosh 'to trot about here and there' [act. intr.].

     2. The literal translation of the second line of this passage is as follows: " 'In what way / your children / being so well / being strung along after one another / after you / they going about here and there / you keep it so,' / Coyote / he said to her, it is said."

(6.3)

     The literal translation of the first line of this passage is as follows: "'This / rope / that which is strung between them / it being well by means of it / after me / they are going about here and there,' / Quail / she said to him, it is said."

(6.5)

     1. gh1daa'iistsigo 'pushing it through them'. gh1- 'through'; daa-'i- distrib. indef. obj.; plus the 3rd person perf. of -ts4. 'to do with a long pointed object' [act. tr.]. The distrib. daa- causes the si- perf. If gh1- alone is combined with this theme, the ni- completive prefix appears in the imp. and the perf. is of the ni- conjugation.

     2. 'itah]t'igo '19laan1'a 'he strung it between them'. 'itah 'among them, between them' [in- definite object]; ]t'i, 3rd person ni- perf. of -t'4 'to be strung'. '19laa, 3rd person perf. with 3rd person obj. of -l1 'to do to' [act. tr.].

     3. 'i[k4idaas'44jn1'a 'he strung them one after another'. 'i[- reciprocal; -k4 [also -k44'] 'after, following'; daa- distrib. obj.; plus the 3rd person si- perf. of -'eesh 'to string [e. g., beads]' [act. tr.].

     4. neesnd1go 'dead. 3rd person perf. of ni-...[si- perf.]-nd4 'several die' [act. intr.].