Page:A dictionary of the language of Mota.djvu/20

xviii VI. .

These are Nouns taking the suffixed Personal Pronouns, and used with Nouns that do not take Pronouns suffixed (see Nouns 1.) to express the possessive relation. The meaning of the Possessive Noun is 'a thing belonging.'

The Possessives are no, mo, ga, ma.

(a) The difference between no and mo is that no means a thing that has come into possession from without, while mo is that which belongs because of the action of the possessor, a person's because it is his doing; anoma, tama apeniko, we van ma; amoma, tama ko me ge. This distinction is important.

(b) A closer relation is signified by ga, very often of food, but by no means with an original connexion with eating; gak o qatia an arrow to shoot me with; gan o wena rain got for him by a charm.

(c) ma is of things drunk or chewed for the juice.

(d) To all of these a 4. is very commonly prefixed.

(e) Any of these Possessives with Article and suffixed Pronoun, in form a pure substantive, answers to 'mine,' 'thine,' 'his,' 'hers,' etc.; nanok, nagana, etc. Similarly with the Interrogative; ''nanonsei iloke? nanok;'' Whose is this? Mine.

VII. .

1. Words which are qualifying terms are commonly used in the form of Verbs; but some can be used without Verbal particles, following the qualified word; ima mantagai, small house, tanun livoa big man. Nouns when used to qualify follow simply; ima vat, stone house.

2. Some words are marked as Adjectives by special terminations; these are—

ga; often formed from Nouns, wuwuai dust, wuwuaga dusty. Sometimes the ending is iga; mamasaiga dry.

ra; as in ligligira fluid, from ligiu.

ta; as mamanigata ulcerous, from maniga.

More rare are sa and la.

3. Adjectival Prefixes. The prefixes ma and ta are common in words which can fairly be called Adjectives; taniniga straight, matoltol thick; and these are the same which are applied to Verbs; see Verbs.

4. Comparison. Degrees of comparison are shewn by Prepositions and Adverbs; we poa nan bigger; we poa aneane very big, biggest. A positive statement implies a comparison; iloke we wia this is the best; iloke we wia' ilone we tatas, this is good, that is bad, i. e. this is better than that.

See also matai 2. good, mala 2. ill, mano, vara 6. rather, tur 3. very, and sokorai, parasiu, matig 3., mere, man 3.

VIII. .

Almost any word, an Exclamation, an Adverb, is used as a Verb