Page:A Sketch of Mota Grammar.djvu/21

(17) substantive after it, referring back to a substantive that has gone before. "That is his own place that he has gone away from."—Ilone navanuana ni me toa veta nan.

7. Goro is the most difficult of the prepositions. There is always the notion of motion in it, and of motion over against. If a rail simply stands against a fence with nothing against which it bears up, the preposition is ape, but if it stands as a prop, it would be goro. If a man stands before another, with no reference to motion; he stands ape nagona; but if he has come to stand, goro nanagona, not at his face, but against his face.

With this is connected the sense of round about, as if surrounding for protection, or for a guard, as to fence round a garden: geara goro o tuqei, "To fence against pigs," geara goro o qoe. So a glass is round about a lamp, waliog goro o pul.

In very many cases goro will be translated "over," but always with the notion of motion and of action, not of mere superposition. To put on clothes is saru goro natarapema mun o siopa, to clothe over your body with a garment; and the garment, te toga goro natarapema, covers over your body, as protection, or concealment, or decoration. In the same way to paint over a surface is to lamas goro. If anything be hung over the fire, with an express view to some action on or from the fire, the preposition will be goro; if with no such view, avune. If a person sits over the fire to look after it, ni te pute goro av; if he sits over it to get warmth from it, te masil goro av.

Then follows the further sense of "after" as applied to that which is the object of action. Thus, to look after, to take care of, is ilo-goro; to go after a thing, to fetch it, is mule-goro.

8. Nia is peculiar in its use, inasmuch as it never comes before, but always follows the noun to which it is applied: "This is the pen I wrote the letter with," Iloke