Grammar and Vocabulary of the Lau Language, Solomon Islands Part 3

RELATIVE p.r.o.nOUNS.

There are no relative p.r.o.nouns. Their place is supplied by various locutions.

1. By the suffixed p.r.o.noun: _inia nane gu bae kekerofana fasi uri_ this is he of whom I spoke. The addition of the demonstrative _ne, nena_, serves to make the meaning clearer: _inia nena ai garni mi maasia_ he is the person for whom we are waiting.

2. By making use of a coordinate clause: _igami ne too gera ada fuada na_ we are the people whom they have chosen.

POSSESSIVES.

Singular: (1) _agu_. (2) _amu_. (3) _ana_.

Plural: Inclusive: (1) _aga_, _agolu_.

Exclusive: (1) _agami_, _agamelu_. (2) _agamu_, _agamolu_.

(3) _agera_, _ada_, _adalu_.

Dual: Inclusive: (1) _agoro_.

Exclusive: (1) _agamere_. (2) _agamoro_. (3) _adaro_.

The possessive is used:

1. Of things to eat and drink: _si fangala agu_ something for me to eat, _o ngalia amu_ take it for your eating, _si doo ana gera priest tafiligera_ food for the priests only.

When the sense relates to food in general and not to a particular meal the ordinary personal p.r.o.nouns are employed as possessives: _si doo ni gwou inau_ a drink for me.

2. As meaning, for me, for my part, etc., belonging to, at, with: _geni agu_ a wife for me, _nia lea ana_ he went his way, _gu ka gele dau go agu_ if I but touch, _fuana ngalia fera nia agolu_ to get his land for ourselves, _si mamana nia ana_ power in himself, his power, _si doo oro agu_ I have many things, _e langi ana_ not in it, lost, _nia soe agera_ he questioned them, _soea satana ana a doo bago_ ask so-and-so his name, _nia ledia tasi doo agu_ he asked me about something, _ooganga agera_ their debt.

3. As the object of a neuter verb (i. e., a verb which does not take a transitive suffix): _gera da qele ana_ they marvelled at him, _gu ingo amu_ I beseech thee, _dau agu_ touch me, _bota ana_ blessed is he.

4. With verbs when the object is separated from the verb: _nia bubu tete adalu_ he regarded them fixedly, _ka lugatai saufini ana_ let him go secretly, _da bae aisile ana_ they spoke scornfully of him: _ala meme gamu_ to bite and rend you, is a variant.

5. To express, of, from, among: _ati mwane agamu_ what man of you?

6. The forms ending in _lu_ denote a restriction in the number of the people concerned.

7. The adverb _afoa_ apart is also followed by the possessive: _afoa ana_ apart from him.

8. It will be seen that the one possessive in Lau does the work of the three that are used in Sa'a. A Port Adam man asking for a wife at Sa'a and saying _geni ana_ (as has happened at times) would be asked whether he wanted to eat her--the Sa'a use being _keni nana_, _'ana_ being reserved of things to eat.

ADJECTIVES.

1. Words which are qualifying terms may also be used in the form of verbs, but some may be used without verbal particles and follow the qualified word. _Mwane baita_ a big man, _mwela tou_ a little child.

2. Some words have a form which is used only of adjectives, either of termination or of prefix.

a. Adjectival terminations are: _a_, _la_.

The termination _a_ is suffixed to substantives and verbs: _rodo_ night, _rorodoa_ dark, darkness, cloud; _bulu_ to be black, _bubulua_ black.

_La_ is suffixed to substantives and verbs: _mwai_ a bag, _mwaila_ rich, _kobu_ to be fat, _kobukobula_ fat, whole, big; _tagalo_ to be wandering, _tagalola_ matted, thick, of forest.

b. Adjectival prefixes are _a_, _ma_, _tata_, _m_. These are all prefixed to verbs.

The _a_ is prefixed to verbs to form participles: _luga_ to loose, _aluga_ loose; _la_ to lift up, _alaa_ upwards, up.

_Ma_ denotes condition: _lingi_ to pour, _malingi_ spilled, _ngi_ to divide, _mangisingisi_ broken, divided, _matala_ only, merely; _tefe mwela matala_ an only child.

_Tata_ denotes spontaneity: _tatagwelu_ headlong.

_M_ as a prefix appears to be used in the word _moi_ broken, (Sa'a _'o'i_ to break, _ma'o'i_ broken).

3. Comparison: Degrees of comparison are shown by the use of prepositions or adverbs, or by a simple positive statement. The prepositions used are _fasi_ from, _tasa_ beyond, in excess. The suffixed p.r.o.noun is used with _fasi_, but the possessive is used with _tasa_: _na boso nia baita fasia na asufe_ a pig is larger than a rat; _gera baita tasa agera_ these are much larger than those.

The adverbs employed are _gele_ little, somewhat, _asia_ very, too much: _nia baita asia_ it is very (too) large.

A positive statement carries comparison by implication: _doo ne nia baita_ that is biggest, _sai ai ne ni diena, sai ai nena ni taa na_ this is good, that is bad; i.e., this is better than that.

VERBS.

Almost any word may be used as a verb by prefixing the verbal particles, but some words are naturally verbs as being the names of actions and not of things. There are also verbs which have special forms as such by means of a prefix or termination. Verbal particles precede the verb; they have a temporal force.

1. The verbal particles are _ka_, _ko_. The particles are written apart from the verb, but the speakers like to join them to the governing p.r.o.nouns of the first and second persons singular, _gu_, _o_.

_Ka_ is used both of present and of future time: _nia ka bae uri_ he speaks thus, _ka urina_ if that be so, _tasi doo taa gera ka odea_ what will they do? _lelea ka rodo_ go till nightfall; the illatives _fi_, _fe_, may be added.

_Ko_ is used only with the personal p.r.o.noun, second singular _o_, and may express either present or future time: the illative may be added.

The preposition _fuana_ to him, to it, in order that, is used as a subjunctive or optative.

2. Time and Moods: A subjunctive is formed by _ana_ if, when, followed by the particle _ka_, or by the use of _saea_.

Conditional affirmation is expressed by _saumala_.

The illatives are _fi_ and _fe_, and mean, then, in that case, following upon, just now, for the first time: _ta ka fi uri_ then said he, _gami mifi saitamana na tala uta_ and how shall we know the way?

_Fe_ as an illative denotes, in that case, following upon; _fe_ is also used like _ha'i_ in Sa'a, to denote repet.i.tion or continuance or restoration: _na abana e fe boeboela lau_ his hand was restored whole again, _gera ka fe dao toona_ they will certainly reach him, _daro fe lea lau_ go they went on again, _da tefe bae ana tesi baela_ they all cried out together.

_Na_ is used following the verb to form a preterit: _nia mae na_ he is dead. Finality is shown by the use of _sui_: _sui na_ it is all finished, _nia kafi dao sui na_ when he shall have arrived, _sui nana_ it is finished, _sui ta_ thereupon, after that.

For the imperative the simple verb is used: _o lea amu_ go away; _fasi_ may be added for politeness: _lea fasi amu_ you go!

3. Negative Particles: The foregoing particles are not used in negative sentences. The negative particles are _langi_, _e langi_, _si_. These may be combined: _nia langi si saea_ he does not know it, _e langi mu si rongoa ma e langi mu si saea_ you have neither heard it nor seen it, _e langi nau gu si lea_ I am not going, _e langi uri ta ai e adasia_ no one has seen it, _e langi asia_ not at all. The verbal particle _ka_ may be used in negative sentences with the addition of _si_, _kasi bobola_ it is not fitting. The dehortative and the negative imperative is _fasia_: _fasia oko lea_ do not go! _fasia gera ka adasia_ let them not see it, _o fasia oko luia_ do not forbid it.

Genitives: _ni_, _i_ are used to express purpose.

4. Suffixes to verbs: There are certain terminations which, when added to neuter verbs or to verbs active only in a general way, make them definitely transitive or determine their action upon some object. These are of two forms: