Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/213

Rh 122. We now come to the question : In what manner do the short forms of the personal pronouns combine with the verb?

I. Where the language in question has only one series of short forms: in some languages they precede, while in others they follow, the verb. This does not depend on the usual order of the subject, be it a substantive or a full form of pronoun. In Mal. the subject as a rule follows the predicate, but the short forms of the personal pronouns have to precede it. — They precede the verb in Toba, Mal., Bareqe, Tettum, etc., but follow it in Bont.

II. Where the language in question has two series of short forms: in that case the one series always precedes, the other follows, the verb; that holds good, e.g., of the two Bug. series given above, the u-series precedes, the aq-series follows.

123. Illustrations to the foregoing paragraph.

I. Position of the forms before the verb. Bareqe, from the Song about the Beloved Relatives: "I value (them) like gold" = ku timba ewa wuyawa. Mak., from the Sixth Elegy: "God, I pray" = Batara, ku kanro. Old Jav., from the fifth canto of the Rāmāyana: "He bent this bow" = r ayat ikanaṅ laras. Mentaway, from the Love Dialogues: "I will not" = Not I w. = ta k' oba < ta ku oba.

It chances that the short forms of all the personal pronouns occur in the Nias Story of Buruti and Futi:

I — "I know my mother well" = I k. w. mother my =u ila sa nina gu.

Thou — "Why dost thou steal my child ?" = W. t. s. c. my =hanawa o tago nono gu.

He — "The ghost Buruti spake" = He s. B. g. = i mane Buruti-beχu.

We — "We will speak" = We s. w. = ta waqo dania.

You — "Give me the child !" = You g. me c. = mi beqe χogu nono.

They — "They have stolen my child" = la tago nono gu.

II. Position of the short forms after the verb. Bont., from the Battle of Kaloqokan: "They run into the wood" = R. they i. w. = umüy ca id pagpag.