Page:An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language).djvu/638

80 becomes  before ; thus:  for, “it is a person.”

When one word ending with a vowel is immediately followed by another commencing with a vowel, the final vowel of the first word is in some cases dropped; thus:—


 * for, “the whole world.” for , “a foreigner.”  for  “everybody.”

becomes before, as,  “to recognize,” while  is sometimes heard for , as,  for , “to defeat.”

Care must always be taken to pronounce the double consonants as in speaking Italian or Japanese. As:—


 * {| style="width: 100%;"


 * style="width: 50%;" |, “where?”
 * style="width: 50%;" |, “a multitude.”
 * , “sand”
 * , “in,” “to.”
 * , “to lace up”
 * , “a difference.”
 * , “now”
 * , “long.”
 * }
 * , “now”
 * , “long.”
 * }

When it is desirable to give special clearness or emphasis to a noun or adjective ending with a vowel, such final vowel may be reduplicated preceded by the consonant ; thus :—


 * or, “a tooth.” or , “a day;” “a lake.”  or , “good,”  or  “black,” “dark.”

There are some cases in which it is customary to reduplicate the final vowel, such reduplication being almost universally practiced by the Ainu. As:—For example:—


 * instead of, “twigs.”    ,,     ,,   “a sum.”  instead of , “a rain cloud.”