Page:A Manual of the Foochow Dialect in Twenty Lessons.pdf/40

Rh 1. It has already been shown in Lesson I. that nouns and pronouns in the possessive case acquire descriptive power, and act as adjectives. This is accomplished in the Foochow dialect by adding 其 gì to the noun or pronoun to form the possessive case. 其 Gì may therefore be called an adjectival particle. Verbs followed by gì acquire descriptive power, and sentences containing verbs followed by gì express in Chinese what is expressed in English by relative clauses. This descriptive power of 其 gì with verbs is helped by the use of the relative pronoun 所 sū before the verb. The things that he possesses, 伊所務其乇 ĭ sū ô gì nó̤h. These are the books that he bought, 嚽是伊所買其書 Cuòi sê ĭ sū mā̤ gì cṳ̆. Gì may also define or describe whatever refers to time. When he came, 伊來其時候 ĭ lì gì sì-hâiu. When he was here, 伊着只塊其時候 ĭ diŏh cŭ-cái gì sì-hâiu. Gì when used after verbs denoting certain actions, denotes the person doing these actions. It is frequently used t odescribe workmen, coolies, etc. A chair coolie, 扛轎其 gŏng-giêu gì. A barber, 剃頭其 tié-tàu gì.

2. 只邊 Cī-bĕng and 許邊 hṳ̄-bĕng with 只塊 cŭ-uái and 許塊 hŭ-uái are used as the equivalent of “in these parts”, “in those parts”. Have you horses in your part of the country? 汝許邊務馬吓毛 Nṳ̄ hṳ̄-bĕng ô mā â mò̤? We have donkeys but no horses, 奴許塊務驢毛馬 Nù hṳ̆-uái ô lè̤ mò̤ mā.

3. The words 落 lŏ̤h, 出 chók, 過 guó, are used with 去 kó̤ and 來 lì both as principal and auxiliary verbs. Come down, 落梨來 [sic] lŏ̤h lì. Go down, 落去 lŏ̤h kó̤. Come out, 出來 chók lì. Go out, 出去 chók kó̤. Take these chairs and tables out, 將那椅棹都掏出去 Ciŏng hiā iē dó̤h dŭ dò̤ chók kó̤.