Page:A Sketch of Mota Grammar.djvu/31

(27) used, Sin qe tete maros, Ni ta tete maros, "Should he not be willing."

These forms consist of either a prefix or affix to a word, which then can be used in no other than a verbal sense, e.g. esu, 'live' or 'life,' but vaesu, 'to save or heal;' mana, 'to influence or influence,' but manag, 'to enable.'

There are many words, as before said, which are verbs only, but without a special form as such. These also take, some of them, a special form with a change of sense: vava, 'to speak,' vavag, to speak against a person.

Prefixes.

These are va and ma.

1. Va.—This is the form in Mota of a particle common to the Pacific languages, having the sense of 'make,' vaesu, 'to make live.' It is not used in the sense of originating anything, but of changing condition or character. This causative prefix is not in so frequent use in Mota as might be expected, the word for 'make,' ge or na, being very frequently used. It might be applied, however, to very many verbs and be intelligible.

2. Ma prefixed to an adverb makes a neuter verb; prefixed to a verb it makes a verb expressing condition. It is therefore a particle of condition, not of action; and a verb with ma has much of the sense of an adjective. It also answers to some extent the purpose of a passive. Wora is 'apart,' 'asunder,' mawora is 'parted,' 'sundered,' 'burst,' in a condition in which the thing is in parts. So malate, 'broken;' manoanoa, 'in fragments;' magesei, 'alone.' Lakalaka is 'to rejoice;' malakalaka, 'to be in a joyful state.' Masekeseke, 'light-hearted.' It is by no means meant that ma when the first syllable