Mr. Boudinott,_ Your correspondent, Ga-wo-hee-lo-skee, has given you a specimen of the conjugation of a Cherokee verb in its intransitive form. If any of your learned readers have had the curiosity to look at that specimen, I presume they will also be gratified to see a specimen of a transitive verb, with the manner in which it expresses the person and number of its object as well as of its subject. I propose to carry the declension only through the Present Tense of the Indicative Mode, which will be sufficient for a specimen. In a future communication I may give you a list of Cherokee tenses, so far as I have discovered them, with an attempt at naming them, which latter, however, is not an easy task.

In the following specimen, the number and person of the Object of the verb is expressed at the head of each division, and the number and person of the Subject or Agent on the left hand of the column.

(Cherokee symbols) *I am tying.

Indicative mode

Present Tense

+Inanimate Singular Objective

Singular 1st Person (Cherokee symbols) I am tying it,

2 ' ' thou art tying it

3 ' ' he is tying it

3++f ' ' he is tying it

Dual *** 1'2 ' ' thou and I are tying it

1'3 ' ' he and I are tying it

2 ' ' you two are tying it

Plural 1 ' 2 ' ' you and I are tying it

1 ' 3 ' ' they and I are tying it

2 ' ' you are tying it

3 ' ' they are tying it

3 f. ' ' they are tying it

Inanimate Plural Objective

Singular 1 pers. (Cherokee symbols) I am tying them

2 ' ' thou art tying them

3 ' ' he is tying them

3f. ' ' he is tying them

Dual 1'2 ' ' thou and I are tying them

1 ' 3 ' ' he and I are tying them

2 ' ' you two are tying them

Plural 1 ' 2 ' ' you and I are tying them

1 ' 3 ' ' they and I are tying them

2 ' ' you are tying them

3 ' ' they are tying them

3 f. ' ' they are tying them

First Person Singular Objective

Singular 2 pers (Cherokee symbols) thou art tying me

3 ' ' he is tying me

3 f. ' ' he is tying me

Dual 2 ' ' you two are tying me

Plural 2 ' ' you are tying me

3 ' ' they are tying me

3 f. ++ ' ' they are tying me

Second Person Singular Objective

Singular 1 ' ' I am tying thee

3 ' ' he is tying thee

3f. ' ' he is tying thee

Dual 1 ' 3 ' ' we two are tying thee

Plural 1 ' 3 ' ' we are tying thee

3 ' ' they are tying thee

3f ++ ' ' they are tying thee.

Third Person Singular Objective

Common Familiar

Singular 1 (Cherokee symbols) (Cherokee symbols) I am tying him

2 ' ' ' ' thou art tying him

3 ' ' ' '

3 f. ++ ' ' ' ' he is tying him

Dual 1'2 ' ' ' ' thou and I art tying him

1 ' 3 ' ' ' ' he and I are tying him

2 ' ' ' 'you two are tying him

Plural 1 ' 2 ' ' ' ' you and I are tying him

2 ' ' ' ' you are tying him

3 ' ' ' '

3 f. ' ' ' ' they are tying him

First and Second Persons Dual Objective

*+*+ Collective Distributive

Singular 3 (Cherokee symbols) (Cherokee symbols)

3 f. ' ' he is tying thee and me

Plural 3 ' '

3 f. ' ' they are tying thee and me

First and Third Person Dual Objective

Collective Distributive

Singular 2 (Cherokee symbols) (Cherokee symbols) thou are tying him and me

3 ' '

3 f. (Cherokee Symbols) (Cherokee symbols) he is tying him and me

Dual 2 ' ' you two are tying him ' me

Plural 2 ' ' you are tying him and me

3 ' '

3 f. ' ' they are tying him ' me

_______________________

*Ga-wo-hee-lo-skee has given the same tense of the verb (Cherokee symbols) which I here give of the verb (Cherokee symbols). His definition, I speak is not, I apprehend, perfectly accurate. I would rather define this tense, which he calls the Primary Present, I am speaking, and what may perhaps be called the Habitual Present (Cherokee symbols) I speak; that is to say, I am in the habit of speaking.

+ In all the verbal forms the distinction is maintained between the form of the verb governing a thing or an inanimate object, and of that which governs a person or an animate object. No distinction is made between persons and inferior animals but only between objects animate and inanimate.

++ I follow Ga-wo-hee-lo-skee in denominating this form the third person familiar, rather than the third person present. Whether the remark,that 'both forms are often used without regard to the presence or absence of the party spoken of,' is entirely correct, I, being a white man, cannot tell. That the common form is often used in the presence of the person spoken of admits of no dispute: but is it true that the familiar form is used in the absence of the person spoken of? Or does it rather imply an intention on the part of the speaker that the person spoken of should hear what is said? Be so kind, Mr. Editor, as to answer these questions.

*** These designations 1 ' 2 Persons, and 1 ' 3 Persons, denote that in the former case the first and second persons (thou and I, ye and I) and in the latter the first and third, ( he and I, they and I) are united in the action. In both cases we use in English the first person plural.

*+*+ Also written and pronounced (Cherokee symbols),and so in all parallel cases.

+++ The mark attached to a syllable changes the consonant sound from g to k, or from d to t.

*+*+ This term Collective donates that the action falls upon the several persons who are the object of the verb collectively; the term distributive denotes that the action falls upon each separately;

e.g. (Cherokee symbols) he is tying thee and me together. (Cherokee symbols) he is tying thee and me, each separately.

Second Person Dual Objective

Collective Distributive

Singular 1 (Cherokee symbols) (Cherokee symbols) I am tying you two.

3 ' ' he is tying you two

3f ' '

Dual 1 ' 2 ' ' he and I are tying you two

Plural 1 ' 3 ' ' they ' I are tying you two

3 ' ' they are tying you two

3f. ' ' they are tying you two

First and Second Person Plural Objective

Collective Distributive

Singular 3 (Cherokee symbols) (Cherokee Symbols) he is tying} you and me

3f ' ' }

Plural 3 ' ' they are tying} you ' me

3f ' ' }

First and Third Person Plural Objective

Collective Distributive

Singular 2 (Cherokee Symbols) (Cherokee Symbols} thou art tying them ' me

3 ' ' he is tying them} and me

3f. ' ' }

Dual 2 ' ' you two are tying them and me

Plural 2 ' ' you are tying them and me

3 ' ' they are tying} them and me

3f. ' ' }

Second person Plural Objective

Collective Distributive

Singular 1 (Cherokee Symbols) (Cherokee Symbols) I am tying you

3 ' ' he is tying you}

3f ' ' }

Dual 1 ' 3 ' ' he and I are tying you

Plural 1 ' 3 (Cherokee Symbols) (Cherokee Symbols) they and I are tying you

3 ' ' they are tying} you

3f. ' ' ' ' ' }

Third Person Plural Objective

Common Familiar

Collective Distributive Collective Distributive

S. 1 Cherokee Cherokee Cherokee Cherokee I am tying them

symbols symbols symbols symbols

2 ' ' ' ' thou art tying them

or ' ' ' '

3 ' ' ' ' he is tying them}

3f ' ' ' ' }

D. 1 ' 2' ' ' ' thou ' I are 'c.

1 ' 3 ' ' ' ' he and I are 'c.

2 ' 2 ' ' ' you two are 'c.

P. 1 ' 2 ' ' ' 'you and I are 'c

1 ' 3 ' ' ' 'they and I are 'c.

2 ' ' ' ' you are tying them

3 ' ' ' 'they are tying them}

3f ' ' ' ' }