Number & Counting Comparisons in Dhegiha

[Justin McBride]

Hello, everyone!

We have a question or two for the Dhegihanists out there.

We at the Kaw Nation are working on an elementary level curriculum for Kansa.  We would like to be able to include in the vocabulary as many common classroom words and phrases as we can find.  Unfortunately, we have found no word for 'number.'  Can anyone provide me with Osage, Omaha-Ponca, or Quapaw cognates?  We would prefer not to neologize if a related word exists in one or  more of the others.

Furthermore, the Kansa word 'count' seems very odd to me.  'I count' is 'abla,' and 'you count' is 'yabla.'  No problem there.  The imperative form is 'yawa.'  These are the only attested forms of the verbs I have seen.  I am fairly new to the Dhegiha verb, and find myself at a loss at figuring out what is happening here.  What is the rest of the conjugation?  I am not even sure what the 3rd Sing form would be.  I am utterly stymied in just two syllables!  For shame.

This is my first posting to the list, so please bear with my ignorance.  I am not even sure of the e-rthography.  I've read through other posts that seem to use very similar systems.  Is there an archived post of any or all orthography conventions within the email confines of the list?  


Thanks,
Justin McBride
jtmcbr at kayserv.net
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