Part 3 (1/2)

RELATIVE p.r.o.nOUNS.

There are no relative p.r.o.nouns. Their place is supplied by various locutions.

1. By the suffixed p.r.o.noun: _inia nane gu bae kekerofana fasi uri_ this is he of whom I spoke. The addition of the demonstrative _ne, nena_, serves to make the meaning clearer: _inia nena ai garni mi maasia_ he is the person for whom we are waiting.

2. By making use of a coordinate clause: _igami ne too gera ada fuada na_ we are the people whom they have chosen.

POSSESSIVES.

Singular: (1) _agu_. (2) _amu_. (3) _ana_.

Plural: Inclusive: (1) _aga_, _agolu_.

Exclusive: (1) _agami_, _agamelu_. (2) _agamu_, _agamolu_.

(3) _agera_, _ada_, _adalu_.

Dual: Inclusive: (1) _agoro_.

Exclusive: (1) _agamere_. (2) _agamoro_. (3) _adaro_.

The possessive is used:

1. Of things to eat and drink: _si fangala agu_ something for me to eat, _o ngalia amu_ take it for your eating, _si doo ana gera priest tafiligera_ food for the priests only.

When the sense relates to food in general and not to a particular meal the ordinary personal p.r.o.nouns are employed as possessives: _si doo ni gwou inau_ a drink for me.

2. As meaning, for me, for my part, etc., belonging to, at, with: _geni agu_ a wife for me, _nia lea ana_ he went his way, _gu ka gele dau go agu_ if I but touch, _fuana ngalia fera nia agolu_ to get his land for ourselves, _si mamana nia ana_ power in himself, his power, _si doo oro agu_ I have many things, _e langi ana_ not in it, lost, _nia soe agera_ he questioned them, _soea satana ana a doo bago_ ask so-and-so his name, _nia ledia tasi doo agu_ he asked me about something, _ooganga agera_ their debt.

3. As the object of a neuter verb (i. e., a verb which does not take a transitive suffix): _gera da qele ana_ they marvelled at him, _gu ingo amu_ I beseech thee, _dau agu_ touch me, _bota ana_ blessed is he.

4. With verbs when the object is separated from the verb: _nia bubu tete adalu_ he regarded them fixedly, _ka lugatai saufini ana_ let him go secretly, _da bae aisile ana_ they spoke scornfully of him: _ala meme gamu_ to bite and rend you, is a variant.

5. To express, of, from, among: _ati mwane agamu_ what man of you?

6. The forms ending in _lu_ denote a restriction in the number of the people concerned.

7. The adverb _afoa_ apart is also followed by the possessive: _afoa ana_ apart from him.

8. It will be seen that the one possessive in Lau does the work of the three that are used in Sa'a. A Port Adam man asking for a wife at Sa'a and saying _geni ana_ (as has happened at times) would be asked whether he wanted to eat her--the Sa'a use being _keni nana_, _'ana_ being reserved of things to eat.

ADJECTIVES.

1. Words which are qualifying terms may also be used in the form of verbs, but some may be used without verbal particles and follow the qualified word. _Mwane baita_ a big man, _mwela tou_ a little child.

2. Some words have a form which is used only of adjectives, either of termination or of prefix.

a. Adjectival terminations are: _a_, _la_.

The termination _a_ is suffixed to substantives and verbs: _rodo_ night, _rorodoa_ dark, darkness, cloud; _bulu_ to be black, _bubulua_ black.