Volume Ii Part 18 (2/2)

The numbers appended to some words point out similarities and derivations.

1. NATURAL OBJECTS.*

(*Footnote. To form the plural of a noun or adjective, the rule appears to be to add le as a postfix, sometimes previously supplying a terminal vowel if required: Example: geta = hand becomes getale in the plural: kuku = foot, kukule: kutai = yam, kutaile: ipi = wife, ipile: kerne = lad undergoing a certain ceremony, kernele: makaow = mat, makaowle: bom = fruit of panda.n.u.s, bomale. There are exceptions however; mari = sh.e.l.l ornament, makes marurre in the plural: gul = canoe, gulai: tawpei = short, tawpeingh: all nouns ending in ra have the plural in re, as kowra = ear, kowrare and all ending in kai gain jille in the plural, as ipikai = woman, ipikaijille.

Regarding the allusion to a terminal vowel, it may be mentioned here that as most Kowrarega words end in a vowel, its absence when a vowel commences the following word is commonly owing to elision. Example: udzu umai = my dog becomes udz'umai. When the last consonant in a word is the same as the first in the following word, one of the letters is omitted.

Example: apa pirung = soft ground becomes ap'irung. There are numerous other contractions, as ai for aidu = food: aiye for aiyewel = come here: mue utsem = the fire has gone out, for mue utsimem etc.)

COLUMN 1: ITEM NUMBER.

COLUMN 2: ENGLISH.

COLUMN 3: KOWRAREGA.

COLUMN 4: GUDANG.

1 : Sky : je : -.

2 : Sun : gariga : inga.

3 : Cloud : dapar : otera.

4 : Cloud, heavy, c.u.mulus : markei : -.

5 : Cloud, driving, scud : ras : -.

6 : Moon : kissuri : aikana.

7 : Moon, new : kainidung (634) : kichia.

8 : Moon, full : mullpal : ichara.

9 : Moonlight : kapi kissurri (612.6) : -.

10 : Star : t.i.ture : onbi, unbi.

11 : Star, falling : t.i.ture udzarizhe (10.745) : -.

12 : Star, morning : gariga t.i.ture (2.10) : -.

13 : Jupiter ? : dogei : -.

14 : Pleiades : kusali* : -.

(*Footnote. The frequency of words having different meanings may perhaps lead some to suppose that they may have originated in error on my part.

Some have a figurative connexion as upu = a series of waterholes, also a blister; kusali = the constellation of the Pleiades, also a plant with bunches of seeds which become white and glittering by exposure to the sun: others have no obvious community of meaning, as ari = rain, also a louse; gi = laughter, also ripe, &tc.)

15 : Darkness, night : inur : yulpalga.

16 : Shadow, shade : yirada : moda.

17 : Wind : guba : alba.

18 : Rain : ari : apura.

19 : Rainbow : oripara : ung-gebanya.

20 : Dew : urma : -.

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