Page:A Manual of the Foochow Dialect in Twenty Lessons.pdf/30

Rh ;男 nàng: male
 * 女 nṳ̄: female
 * 禮 lā̤: in, at, sign of present participle
 * 安 ăng: peace
 * 平 bàng: even, level, smoothly
 * 風 hŭng: wind
 * 禮拜 lā̤-bái: worship
 * 聽見 tiăng-giéng: heard
 * 旁邊 bòng-biĕng: at the side of
 * 仈曾 báik-cèng: sign of past tense
 * 講道理 gōng dô̤-lī: to preach
 * 挪乇 nò̤-nó̤h: why
 * 了 lāu: sign of past tense

1. In speaking o a place by name the word “in” is expressed by diŏh alone. In speaking of heaven 上 siông above, is sometimes used with diŏh after the noun. I have a friend of China, 儂家務一隻朋友着中國 nè̤ng-gă ô siŏh ciáh bèng-iū diŏh Dṳ̆ng-guók.

2. One peculiarity to which nothing corresponds in English is the insertion of a noun or pronoun before an adverb of place. Your things are here with me 汝其乇着儂家只塊 Nṳ̄ gì nó̤h diŏh nè̤ng-gă cŭ-uái.

3. To express motion towards 至 gáu and 上 siông are used. Sometimes they are omitted as going to Foochow, 上福州 siô̤ng Hók-ciŭ. Where are you going? 去冬那 kó̤ dĕ̤ng-nē̤? I am going to Iong-kau, 去洋口 kó̤ Iòng-kāu. Where are you going? I am going to school, 汝去冬那 儂家上齋 ''Nṳ̄ kó̤ dĕ̤ng-nē̤? Nè̤ng gă siông că̤''.

4. Adjectives are used distinctively and predicatively as in English, but sê is seldom used with them. He is a good man, 伊是好𠆧 ĭ sê hō̤ nè̤ng. This box is large, 者箱大 Ciā siŏng duâi.

5. In the sentence, I want three books, two large and one small, “large” and “small” are adjectives, qualifying the noun understood. In the translation of the above sentences, and that given in addition, gì