in two quite different ways, depending on the nature of the noun. Nouns in fixed relationships (inalienable possession) A body part or family member cannot be named in Muscogee without mentioning the possessor, which is an integrated part of the word. A set of changeable prefixes serves this function: = his / her hand = my hand = your hand = our hand Even if the possessor is mentioned specifically, the prefix still must be part of the word: Toskē enke = Toske's hand. It is not redundant in Muscogee ("Toske his_hand"). Transferable nouns All other nouns are possessed through a separate set of pronouns. efv = dog; vm efv = my dog; cem efv = your dog; em efv = his / her dog; pum efv = our dog. Again, even though the construction in English would be redundant, the proper way to form the possessive in Muscogee must include the correct preposition: Toskē em efv = Toske's dog. That is grammatically correct in Muscogee, unlike the literal English translation "Toske his dog". Locative nouns A final distinctive feature, related to the above, is the existence of locational nouns. In English, speakers have prepositions to indicate location, for example, behind, around, beside, and so on. In Muscogee, the locations are actually nouns. These are possessed just like parts of the body and family members were above. = house; = noun for "behind"; = behind the house; = behind me; = behind you. = under; = tree; = under the tree. = near; = near me; = near you; = near us. Examples Family. Erke. = Father. Ecke. = Mother. Pauwv. = Maternal Uncle. Erkuce. = Paternal Uncle. Eckuce. = Aunt. Puca. = Grandpa. Puse. = Grandma. Cēpvnē. = Boy. Hoktuce. = Girl. Male vs. female speech Claudio Saunt, writing about the language of the later 18th century, said that there were different feminine and masculine versions, which he also calls dialects, of the Muscogee language. Males "attach[ed] distinct endings to verbs", while Females "accent[ed] different syllables". These forms, mentioned in the first (1860) grammar of the Creek language, persisted in the Hichiti, Muscogee proper, and Koasati languages at least into the first half of the 20th century. Seminole dialects The forms of Muscogee used by the Seminoles of Oklahoma and Florida are separate dialects from the ones spoken by Muscogee people. Oklahoma Seminole speak a dialect known as Oklahoma