Osage 'eight'

[Rory M Larson]

>> In Omaha, this and I believe a few other words seem to do some sound
symbolic alternations between bdhVgV and gdhVbV.  So we have bdhu'ga too
for 'all', as well as gdhu'ba.  I don't think we've figured out for sure
quite what the difference is.  I guess the question would depend on how far
back in the Omaha/Dhegihan language lineage a *bro'ka/*gro'pa alternation
existed.

> I had never heard of /gruba/, but I'll check Quapaw when I get home.  Kaw
doesn't have *loba 'all' unless in that '8' term, and I don't recall ever
seeing it in OS, although Carolyn is the one who would know.

Hmm.  Well, maybe it's a peculiarity of (modern?) Omaha.  I thought of
another word that does this too, after sending off the last note.  The word
for 'paper'/'book' alternates between wabdha'gase and wagdha'base.  Not
much hope of that one being very old, I suppose.  Come to think of it, I
don't recall the gdhVbV forms existing even in Dorsey.

Rory
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