Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake Volume Ii Part 27

674 : Slowly : taregi (674, 804) : -.

675 : Constantly, always, only, still : mata* : -

(*Footnote. Expresses a continuance of the action: gul mata pongeipa = the canoe is still under sail.)

676 : Morning : muggi' batteingh : -.

677 : About noon : kei gariga (625, 2) : -.

678 : Afternoon : kut : -.

679 : Hereabouts : kareki : -.

680 : Here : ina* : -.

681 : There : chena* : -.

(*Footnote. Both are also p.r.o.nouns: perhaps, when translated as adverbs, the term equivalent to place is omitted, rendering ina = (in) this (place) and chena = (in) that (place.))

682 : Above, upwards : nakareipa : -.

683 : Below, downwards : malupa (29) : -.

684 : Below, (a very long way) : kara malupa : -.

685 : Inside : muye : -.

686 : Thus, in this manner : keda : keda.

687 : A long way off : kapi taig : -.

688 : Near, close to : logi : -.

689 : Again : laka : -.

690 : Completely, into pieces, etc. : palge : -.

691 : Well, much, etc. : purke : -.

692 : Where? : anaga : -.

693 : Why? : mipa : -.

694 : How, in what manner? : mida : -.

695 : Yes : wa, ua : ia.

696 : No : long-a, giure : untamo.

697 : Don't : wan-nur,* maige (804) : -.

(*Footnote. I suspect, from the termination, that this is the present tense of the imperative mood of some verb = to do, to perform, etc.)

698 : Stop! enough! : china : -.

699 : Exclamation of surprise : ka! ka! ka! : -.

700 : Exclamation to arrest attention : qualli! qualli! (= I say!) : -.

701 : Exclamation of pity : igur (= poor thing!) : -.

702 : And* : ia.

(*Footnote. Example: uleip' Aburdia, Salallaia, Wagelia, Mania = Aburde and Salalle and Wagel and Manu are approaching.)

10. VERBS.*

(*Footnote. After tabulating 100 Kowrarega verbs in all the different forms in which they had occurred to me, I yet failed in arriving at a knowledge of their mode of formation, owing to the deficiency of data on one hand, and the presence of some apparently defective and irregular verbs on the other. Still some of the results are worth recording.

Leaving out the consideration of the irregular verbs, I can speak with certainty of only two Moods, the Indicative and the Subjunctive, of the Present and the Past (probably really further divisible) Tenses of the former, and the Present of the latter. As an example I may give the verb to strike, of which the root is a.s.sumed to be matum = a stroke.

Indicative Present : nudu ngatu : matumeipa = I am striking him.

Indicative Perfect : nudu ngatu : matnmina = I struck him.

Indicative Future : nudu ngatu : matumeipakai = I shall strike him.

Imperative Present : nudu ngidu : matumur = strike him.

a.s.suming a root to each, I find 94 of the verbs under examination to agree in having the present tense of the indicative terminating in pa: of these 70 end in aipa, 14 in ipa, 6 in epa, and 1 in aipa.

The perfect tense (setting aside some inexplicable irregularities) exhibits a great variety of terminations for the formation of which no rule can yet be given: these are an, ana, ani; in, ina, ima: em, ema; eima, eiun; and un.

The future tense alone is perfectly regular; it is simply formed by adding kai to the present.

The present tense of the imperative mood in those verbs having the present of the indicative ending in ipa terminates (with one exception in i) in ir: in the others the terminations of this tense are ur (the most frequent); ar (the next in order of frequency), ara, ari; ada, eada; e, eio, eir, erur; and o.

After all I am inclined to suppose that the Kowrarega verb, although apparently complicated, is of simple construction; and that its various modifications are caused by the mere addition to its root of various particles, the exact meaning of which (with one exception) is yet unknown. That exception is the particle aige or ge (804) the mode of employment of which is shown by the following examples :

Wawp' yinu ngai purteipaige = I am not eating your fish.

Wawp' yinu ngai purteiunaige = I did not eat your fish.

Wawp' yinu ngai purteipakaige = I shall not eat your fish.

Wawp' nanu ngi purtaige = Don't eat his fish.

A few examples may be given in ill.u.s.tration of the preceding remarks.

COLUMN 1: ENGLISH.

COLUMN 2: PRESENT.

COLUMN 3: PAST.

COLUMN 4: FUTURE.

COLUMN 5: IMPERATIVE.

Eat : purteipa : purteiun : purteipakai : purtar.

Bite : mapeipa : mapana : mapeipakai : mapur.

Take away : meipa : mani : meipakai : mari.

Tell : mulepa : mulem : mulepakai : muleada.

Lie down : yuneipa : yunum : yuneipakai : yunur.

Leave behind : yuneipa : yunem : yuneipakai : yunur.

Shoot : uteipa : utun : uteipakai : utur.

Enter : uteipa : utema : uteipakai : uterur.)

703 : Word implying motion : ngapa* : -.

(*Footnote. This is a word which from the variety of its modes of application long puzzled me. Careful examination of sentences in which it occurred led to the following results. 1. It may be used as an independent word to denote motion towards the speaker, the p.r.o.noun which would otherwise be required being omitted. Example: adur = go out, but ngap' adur = come out (towards the speaker), lak' ngapa = to come again, to return. 2. It is also used as a postfix to denote motion towards the object to which it is joined. Example: laga' p'(ngapa) aiyewel = come to the hut, mue' pa teir = throw it into the fire. 3. It is used in a third sense. Example: wawpi 'pa = to go fis.h.i.+ng, kaba 'pa = to go to a dance.

4. It is often used as an equivalent to give me, the hand being held out at the same time, Example: ngapa = let it come to me.)

704 : Bail : salpumeipa : -.

705 : Be affected with : ameipa* : -.

(*Footnote. Apparently a contraction of ana and meipa. Example: ana kobaki ameipa = (literally) me cough affects, or I have a cough. The word mizzi, the exact meaning of which is unknown to me, is also used to express the same thing. Example: quiku kikire ana mizzi = I have a sick head, or a headache.)

706 : Become : atzipa : -.

707 : Bite : mapeipa : -.

708 : Bore a hole : tartepaleipa (817, 722) : -.

709 : Break (as a stick) : tideipa aterumbanya.

710 : Break wind backwards : - : penyaka.

711 : Build (as a hut) : mideipa (369 ?) : -.

712 : Bury, plant, sow : maramateipa (40, 791) : -.