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oIbrechts] the swimmer MANUSCRIPT 161
To be systematic and methodical, I should state which, to my
mind, are the sources from which the Cherokee ritual language in its
present shape is derived
1. There is first of all a substratum of what may be called the lan-
guage at an earlier stage of its growth.
2. Secondly there is a layer of the Western dialect.
3. Finally there is an unmistakable influence of the rhythm in the
melodies of songs.
The latter element, the influence of the song melodies, is of all the
least perceptible, and from a linguist's viewpoint, of the least importance.
It bears only on certain phonetic and on a very few mor-
phologic aspects. Such are the artificial prefixing, infixing, and suffix-
ing of particles without any semantic value, which is done with the
sole object in view of filling out the meter of the melody when sing-
ing. Instances are:
(a) Prefixing (prosthesis)— *a is frequently prefixed to such words
as 'a'no*"Gw5'", "now"; Voalg-'ldi, "above"; *a*'i;soni;*'li, "quickly."
(b) Infixing (epenthesis)—€'lan(a)Di for e"ldi, e'lani, "below";
a'Gwan(a)Di;-'lua' for a'awaoy'lua', "I want"; no'tsi'oli' for no'tstU',
"in the pine grove."
(c) Suffixing (paragoge; epithesis).
No instance of the suffixing of meaningless syllables to ffil out the
meter of a melody has come to my notice ; nor is this difficult to ex-
plain: Cherokee possesses such a vast variety of emphatic suffixes
(-ya, -yi, -yu, Dfnb^', -GO'ca', etc.), that in case of emergency one or
even a couple of these are called upon to bring the word or the sen-
tence up to its necessary number of syllables.
Also the contrary of the processes just described takes place:
(a) Aphesis; aphaeresis
GW€''ica' for aGwe'^sta-'ne'a', "I have pain."
Gtse-'Gwo" for a^Gfse''Gw5', "the big bitch."
Ge'*iyaGi;''G9 for aGe'*iyaGi;*'G9, "the woman by excellence."
(b) Syncope
tstse-'Gt'.a' for tst'se*GO''Gt".a', "I overcome it."
ani'GaGe'"' for a'niGt'GaGe'"', "they (are) red."
GWe'^^a' for aGW€'*tsta''ne*a', "I have pain."
(c) Apocope
no'^GWODf' for no"^GWODt'no°', "now indeed."
waVl for wa'*ali', (name for a mountain).
ts9''r)uso' for tsg*r)i;'so!i', "where the Creeks live."
As for the second layer mentioned, the evidence is as interesting
to the student of psychology and history as to the linguist.
This layer, as already stated, consists of a collection of words and
expressions, borrowed from the Western dialect. This is the dialect