Page:A Sketch of Mota Grammar.djvu/22

(18) o qat raverave na me rave o letas ti nia, corresponding exactly to the English. This position is invariable; and it also occurs after the verb ris, to turn, to change:" the water that turned into wine, o pei me ris wine nia; in this corresponding to the English withal. That it is a preposition seems clear from its use in another language; but from its use then, it may be said that ni is the preposition, and a the pronoun.

9. Ama, in its other form amen, is "with," in the sense of together with: "He lives with me," Ni we toga amenau;—amaiko, 'with you.' It is very questionable, however, whether the preposition in this is not merely a, and the latter syllable a fragment of a noun. The form of it seems to indicate this: am nau, am'iko, am'ia, am kamam, am nina, am kamiu, am'ra or am'ra or amra. The same may be said of ape, and the rare ipe.

Another simple preposition, if it can so be called, is ta, which is used in the sense of "of" when spoken of belonging to a place: A man of Mota, o tanun ta Mota; the language of Mota, o vava ta Mota; A Mota plant, o tangae ta Mota; You speak Mota, ko we vava ta Mota; A Mota person, o ta Mota. This is probably in fact a substantive, not in origin merely, but in native use.

Compound prepositions, have their force as such from the presence in them of one of the simple prepositions, and much most commonly of a and i.

1. Alo, 'in,' ilo, 'into,' compounded of a and i, with a noun which with the reduplication is loloi, 'inside;' sa alele, ilele, 'inside;' avune, 'above,' 'on;' ivune, 'above,' 'on to;' vunai, 'the upper side;' alalan̈e, 'under;' ilalan̈e, 'under,' with sense of motion; lalan̈ai, 'under side;' apan, 'beside;' panei, 'a hand;' a tavala,' 'beyond;' tavaliu, 'side.'

2. With alo and ilo, alovatitnai, ilovatitnai, between.

3. An adverb with nan, 'out from;' lue nan, 'down