_Stoure_, great, _stourapo_, greater, _stouramus_, greatest.
_Enach_, much, _enapo_, more, _enamus_, most.
_Utze_, little, _utzapo_, less, _utzamus_, least.
The comparative for the most part ends in _po_, the Superlative in
_mus_. They have also their Articles, but seldom use them before Nouns,
as it also in other Tongues.
In the Masc. and the Fem. Gender the Article hath the same termination,
but differs in the Neuter; for _tott_ signifies _hic & hæc_, _towt_,
_hoc_.
Their Pronouns are _mun_, I, _tun_, thou, _sun_, he, _mii_, we, _sii_,
you, _tack_, they. The Verbs also are conjugated in their Tenses, and
Persons, as in the Indicative mood thus, Sing. _Mun pworastan_ I love,
_tum pworastack_ thou lovest, _sun pworasta_. Plur. _Mii pworastop_ we
love, _sii pworost_ you love, _tack pwrost_. And after this manner do
they decline their other Verbs.
Sing. _mun læm_ I am, _tun læck_, thou art, _suu lia_ he is.
Plur. _mii læp_ we are, _sii læ_ you are, _tack læ_ they are.
These will serve to give us some light into the nature of this
Language, at least as much as is to our purpose, who did not undertake
to write a Grammar, but only give some small description.
Now the _Laplanders_ have a peculiar way of pronouncing words,
according to which it is impossible to express them in letters, for
they do mouth out all their words, so that the vowels might be heard
loud enough, but the other letters come very softly out; they do also
quite cut off and drown the last syllables, especially of Nouns.
Letters they neither have, nor ever had any, and in this they agree
with their ancestors the _Finlander_: the Calendar which they use, is
no other but the Swedish in _Runick_ letters. And this also, before
they came to have commerce with the _Swedes_, and had learned of them
the observation of Holy-daies, was never in use among them. _Johannes
Buræus_ tells us that he heard from persons of good credit, of certain
grave-stones and monuments, which had sometimes bin found in _Lapland_
(more whereof perhaps might be found) on which were engraved _Runick_
Characters. But suppose we this true, it is not, I hope, therefore
necessary that we should conclude that these were formerly the letters
of the _Laplanders_, to which indeed, as well themselves as their
forefathers the _Finlanders_ are equally Strangers. But we have more
reason to think that the _Swedes_ coming thither in ancient times,
either by force of arms, or otherwise, inhabited there abouts, and left
those stones. To this day both the _Laplander_ and _Finlander_ use the
Latine letters; in the same Character the _Swedes_ and _Germans_ make
them, altho the number of them that can read among them is but very
small, and of them that can write, a great deal less, and are only such
as they call great Scholars.
Now this Speech being only used among the _Laplanders_, and there
being none that desire to learn it but themselves, in all negotiations
with others, they are forced to use the help of Interpreters, of whom
upon this account there are great numbers, as I have formerly said:
tho these Interpreters speak all Languages, but the _Finnonick_, very
barbarously, which is also the fault of all _Laplanders_, who are very
hardly brought to learn or pronounce any other Tongue, and much given
to confound one with another. So that they which traffic in _Norway_,
and border upon that Country, do in their speaking mingle together the
Speech of the _Norwegians_ and _Swedes_, as for instance, _jeghkiæmi_,
for _jag kom_, _jag gaong_, for _jag goar_. So for _hustro_, they say
_koona_, for _min myssa_, _mitt hofwud_, &c. But of the Language of the
_Laplanders_ let this suffice.