Weak and Impatient

Largillier’s Illinois-French dictionary defines the initial roohk-  as indicating “weakness, delicateness, softening,  fineness, softness, and looseness”. This initial shows up in many terms, including these from Largillier’s Illinois-French dictionary:

<<  r8king8e8i bled tendre  >>  for phonemic   roohkiinkweewi   ‘tender corn’

<<  r8kim8taï   sac de laine de boeuf   >>  for phonemic   roohkimootayi   ‘buffalo wool bag’  (literally ‘soft pouch’)

<<  r8caki8i  terre molle, bourbeuse, 8ase, limon  >>  for phonemic  roohkahkiwi  ‘soft ground, muddy (ground), mud, silt (lit. “soft field”)

Le Boullenger’s French-Illinois dictionary has a term that extends the meaning of roohk- to the idea of “impatience” thus connecting in the Illinois speaker’s mind the idea of impatience with weakness.

<<  nir8skitehe  je suis foible impatient  >> for phonemic  niroohkiteehee  ‘I am weak, impatient’ (lit., I am weak-heart')

Michael McCafferty 

©2015