more on Ourigan

[phil cash cash]

klahowya,

I was greatly impressed by the historical information presented in the recent (July post) article
"Ourigan: Wealth of the Northwest Coast" by Lewis and Byram.  Thanks.

I would like to add to your database in one instance of [ourigan].

Oroqen, an endangered Tungusic language of northeast China, shows the form /olo-kan/ 'small fish'.
In /olo-/ 'fish', the vowels are "open o" or what is a mid-back rounded vowel.   The /-kan/ suffix
is identified as a dimunitive and an intensifier.  Thus, literally /olo-kan/ reads 'fish, small'.

Whaley, Lindsay J. and Fengxiang Li.  1998.  The suffix -kan in Oroqen.  Studies in Language 22:2,
441-447.

On a brief note, Nez Perce (Sahaptian) also shows this interesting suffix.  For example, compare
/'iceyeeye/ 'coyote' and /icayaaya-qan/ 'young coyote'.

more food (i.e. gliis or glease) for thought,

Phil Cash Cash
cayuse/nez perce