Page:A dictionary of the language of Mota.djvu/21

Rh with Verbal Particles prefixed; but some words are naturally Verbs, as being names of actions not things.

Verbal Particles come before the Verb, written separate from it. They are 1. Temporal, 2. Modal.

1. Temporal Particles; we, me, te, ti.

(a) There is no strict sense of time in we, only so far as that the action is not regarded as past or future. The time, if necessary in a narrative, having been marked by me, past, or te, future, is carried on with we.

(b) Past time is marked by me; with the addition of the Adverb veta to signify a completed action. But me is used of the future already realized as if past.

(c) The Future is given by te. This is used in narration of things past, but future at the time when the action narrated took place. Time is not in view when te is used of things regarded as sure to happen. The adverb anaisa is used to give a decided future.

(d) Ti is a particle of continuity, succession, and so commonly used in narration. It has no strictly temporal force.

2. Modal Particles; qe, ta.

These are conditional, potential, optative, subjunctive; ta having rather a potential and optative character.

3. There is another Particle ti used with Verbs, but not such a Verbal Particle as the preceding. It follows the Verb. This, if the word be one, has three uses, (a) It throws back the time, so as to make a pluperfect, (b) It gives a sense of incompleteness to the action described, (c) It mitigates the directness or harshness of a request or command. See ti 2, 3, 4, 5.

4. Verbs are used without Verbal Particles, (1) in the Imperative, (2) in a subjoined clause, (3) in the Negative, and (4) after certain adverbs.

(1) In the Imperative the simple Verb is enough; but it is common to use the Pronouns na, ka, ni, nina, nara, kara. After kamam the preposition a is introduced. For the 2nd person in the Dual, ura, wura, in the Trial tol, in the Plural tur, precede the verb.

A Negative Imperative is made by the use of pea 1, a verb in form and meaning, to be not or nothing; so ni pea, let it not be, and ura pea, tol pea, tur pea, do not you two, or you three, or you. (2) In stories, kakakae, also the 3rd pronoun is used without a verbal particle; neira totoga, tawan ni uwa.

(3) In a Negative sentence with gate, tete, though verbal particles appear to be wanting, there is no doubt that ga and te are such particles, and that the negative force resides in the final te. The conditional optative particles qe, ta, also precede tete.

(4) There is no verbal particle after qara, qale, kere, teve.

5. Suffixes to Verbs.

There are certain terminations which, when suffixed to neuter verbs or verbs active in a general way, make them definitely transitive, or determine the action upon some object. These