Page:A dictionary of the language of Mota.djvu/23

Rh IX. .

Place and Time are generally conceived as the same. The native mind has place constantly in view, and by Adverbs and Particles, such as ke, ne, ma, at, continually directs the action.

Words which serve as Adverbs are some of them Nouns with Prepositions, as vea, avea, where; naisa, anaisa, when. Past time is shewn by na before naisa, nora, qarig, risa.

The Negative tagai is a Noun.

X..

These may be divided into Simple and Compound.

1. Simple. Some are certainly Nouns, pe, ma, me, lo, which though used simply are commonly used in compound form.

Locative; a, pe, lo.

Motion; to, i, sur, goro; from, nan.

Dative; mu, mun.

Instrumental; mun, nia.

Relation; ta, men, ma, pe.

The locative a, at, is often used where in English 'from' would be used, the place in the native mind being that at which the motion starts; ''ni me van ma avea? a Mota'', where did he come from? from Mota.

Goro adheres to the Verb, not, like other Prepositions, to the Noun it governs.

Nan, nia, like the English 'from,' 'with,' can come at the end of a sentence.

Ta in ordinary use refers to the place to which a person or thing belongs; o tanun ta Mota, o vavae ta Mota, man or speech of Mota; we vava ta Mota speak Mota; o ta Mota a Mota person. The word is no doubt originally a Noun. It is sometimes used, as in other languages, as a Preposition of simple reference, but only in compound expressions, as lesles-ta-gasuwe, pun-ta-ligas.

2. Compound. These are Nouns, (some of which are in use also as simple Prepositions) compounded with simple Prepositions. From pe; ape, ipe, tape; from ma, me; ama, ame, ima, ime, tama, tame; from lo; alo, ilo, talo.

Of which it should be observed that they are shewn to be Nouns by (1) the use of a Preposition before them; (2) by their taking sometimes a suffixed Pronoun, as apena, as commonly in neighbouring tongues; (3) by the absence of the Article after them. By my side is ape kikik, not ape na kikik; in his garden cannot be alo na tuqena but alo tuqena. The construction of pe kikik and lo tuqena is that of two nouns in possessive relation. But it is admissible to say ape nanok siopa, ape nagak sinaga, where the possessive nouns have the article; nanok, nagak being explanatory of the character of siopa and sinaga. When ape, alo, are used as Adverbs the Article is naturally in place.

Many words, consisting of Nouns with simple Prepositions, are