Frederic Mistral Part 4

The suffix is often diminutive.

auc, _a gander_.

aucat, _gosling_.

pa.s.sero, _sparrow_.

pa.s.serat, _small sparrow_.

-au, -alo.

This is the form of the widely used suffix -al. Mistral uses paternau for _paternal_, and also the adjective formed upon paire, _father_, peirenau, peirenalo, _fatherly_.

bourg, _city_.

bourgau, bourgalo, _civil_.

-edo (fem.).

pin, _pine_.

pinedo, _pine-grove_.

clapo, _stone_.

claparedo, _stony plain_.

oulivo, _olive_.

oulivaredo, _olive-orchard_.

-eire, -erello.

This suffix corresponds to the suffix -aire, mentioned above. It is appended to the stem of verbs not of the first conjugation.

courre, _to run_.

courreire, courerello, _runner_.

legi, _to read_.

legeire, legerello, _reader_.

-eja.

This is an exceedingly common verb-suffix, corresponding to the Italian -eggiare.

toumbareu, _kind of cart_.

toumbaraleja, _to cart_.

farandolo, _farandole_.

farandouleja, _to dance the farandole_.

poutoun, _kiss_.

poutouneja, _to kiss_.

poumpoun, _caress_.

poumpouneja, _to caress_.

segnour, _lord_.

segnoureja, _to lord it over_.

mistral, _wind of the Rhone valley_.

mistraleja, _to roar like the mistral_.

poudro, _powder_.

poudreja, _to fire a gun_.

clar, _bright_.

clareja, _to brighten_.

-en (masc.), -enco (fem.).

This is a common adjective-suffix.

souleu, _sun_.

souleien, souleienco, _sunny_.

mai, _May_.

maien, maienco, _relating to May_.

Madaleno, _Magdalen_.

madalenen, madalenenco, _like Magdalen_.

-es (masc.), -esso (fem.).

This suffix corresponds to the French -ais, -aise. Liounes = lyonnais.

-et (masc.), -eto (fem.).

This is perhaps the commonest of the diminutive suffixes.

ome, _man_.

oumenet, _little man_.

fiho, _daughter_.

fiheto, _dear daughter_.

enfan, _child_.

enfantounet, _little child_.

vent, _wind_.

ventoulet, _breeze_.

toumba, _to fall_.

toumbaraleto, _little leaps_.

chato, _girl_.

chatouneto, _little girl_ malaut, _ill_.

malautounet, _sickly_.

It will be observed that the double diminutive termination is the most frequent.

Sometimes the -et is not diminutive. _ouliveto_ may mean a small olive or a field planted with olives.

-eu (masc.), -ello (fem.).