_Serian_
A. nahpsūk
B. napk´schoch
C. napshoχ´, imapkasho
D. snapkashroj
_Yuman_
2. geshbe
3. hamhoke
13. hoomahook
17. hoomahook
15. humhôck
16. humhoke
12. humhóok
24. humhock
4. humhóque
20. joumjóc (j as in Spanish)
5. χemχúk
I. ic̲h̲kyum-kabiak
IV. kamioec kawam=2×3
8. maike-sin-kenaich
23. m´sig-eleepai
14. niu-gushbai
25. kumhōk
26. kŭmhok
7. seeinta
9. siínta
6. siyinta
18. dě-spé
10. ta-sbe-k
19. tě-shbé
21. te-shpě´-k
22. te-zpé
11. tû-spě´
1. tü-rspe
The given forms of the Serian digit “six” are evidently mere variants
of a common original, which seems quite naturally to have been composed
of the stem _-apka_ of the numeral “three”, and of both a prefix and a
suffix. The prefixes, for there are two, are, to judge from the one in
_imapkasho_, demonstrative in character. It may be compared with _im-_
in _imk´_, “he”; _imke_, “that”; _imkove_, “they”; _imki_, “that”,
in which it appears to be a directive prefix. And the initial _n-_
and _sn-_ may be cognate in origin. But the final _-sūk_, _-’schoch_,
_-shoχ´_, _-sho_, and _-shroj_, according to the audition or otosis
of the collector, must mean “repeated, doubled, again”, etc., or an
equivalent. Hence, the Seri number “six” would be literally “three
repeated”.
In the Yuman column at least eight different elements are involved
in the formation of the digit “six” in the several dialects of the
group. The digits “two” and “three” compose the larger portion of
the forms, resulting in such outlines as _hamhoke_, _hoomahook_,
_humhoke_, _humhóque_, _χemχúk_, _kumhok_. _Hamok_ (10), “three”,
is a characteristic form of this digit, and _ẖooak_ (23), _habick_
(4), and _kuáka_ (19), _óak_ (14), _uake_ (2), are characteristic
outlines of the digit “two”. Compare these two lists. The final _-k_;
of the numeral “three” is elided in composition, as it is merely a
predicative element, as has been indicated in discussing the Yuman
digit “three”; hence, _ham-_ or _hum-_, symbolizing “three”, with the
suffixion of such forms as _ẖooak, huáka_, or _uake_, “two”, readily
becomes _humnhoke_ or _hamhoke_, literally “two threes”. In such forms
as _geshbe_ (2), _despé_ (18), and _niugushbai_ (14) there occurs a
common element _-shbe_, _-spé_, or _-shbai_, which evidently signifies
“added, over, plus”, just as _-eleepai_ does in _m´sig-eleepai_ (23),
“six”, literally “one added, one more than”. The _ge-_ or _-g-_ in
(2) is evidently the final _g_ of the Kiliwi form of the numeral one,
_mesig_, _m´sig_, which may have at one time been the digit “one” in
the Tonto (2); so that _geshbe_ or _g-eshbe_ stands for an earlier
_měsig-eshbe_, “six”, literally “one added (to five)”. The term
_de-spé_ is evidently a contracted form of _siínta-spe_, “one added”,
as the other similar forms show. Compare _ta-sbe-k_ (10) and _siínta_,
(9) and _siyinta_ (6), in the last two of which the suffix is wanting
or at least overlooked by the collector. In _ic̲h̲kyum-kabiak_ (I)
the digit _kabiak_, “three”, occurs, so that _ic̲h̲kyum_, must mean
“repeated, again, iterated”, just as it was shown in the remarks on
the digit _four_. Now, the form _maike-sin-kenaich_ is, perhaps, an
ordinal and not a cardinal. The initial _maike-_ signifies “more,
over, added, plus”, the final _-kenaich_ is the doubtful part, and the
middle portion _-sin-_ is a contracted form of _sinta, siínta_, “one”,
as may be seen in the list of the Yuman forms of the digit “one”. One
other form remains to be considered. The Diegueño (14) of Dr Loew has
_niu-gu-shbai_ (the syllabication is the writer’s, showing the elements
of the combination). An examination of the digits “seven”, “eight”,
and “nine” reveals the fact that the initial _niu-_ has the value of
“added, over, plus, in addition to”, five. But it has been seen that
the ending _-shbaí_ has a like signification. The only reasonable
explanation of this anomaly is that like the Tonto (2) _g-eshbe_, it
owes its origin to the term represented by the Kiliwi _měsig_; and,
moreover, it seems to be a dialectic loan-word. If the term _geshbe_
(2) was adopted as meaning _six_, supplanting, it may be, an earlier
form like _hamhoke_, the force of analogy, to assimilate this to the
other forms, namely, of “seven”, “eight”, and “nine”, would affix
the regular dialectic prefix _niu-_ (or _nio-_). These explanations
and analyses of the diverse forms of the numeral “six” reveal no
relationship between the Serian and the Yuman groups.