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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MARCE, 1908.
• place unknown. It seems very probable that the word is originally the pronoun of the second person, and that it refers to the knowledge of the person to whom the tale is related =' as you know or as you see.
The Future is represented in two ways only: (1) by -pö added to the root, to indicate an action beginning now and continued in the future, as nē-tum nonkē labangko akam apòte pu-po, we will talk about this affair now (nonkë); (2) by jt added to the root, for an action which commences later on, e. g., bādu ärleng-ta tht-jt, all men will die (i. e., at some future time). .
As-po includes the present in the case of continuing action, it may also be (and often is) used in a present sense : jl is restricted to future time.
A compound future may be formed by adding to the root with ji the tormination dòkdòk-lo; là thi-ji dòkdok-lo, he is jnst about to die; an Ik-ji dòkdòk-lo, the rice is nearly all done; an-choji dòkdol-lo, it is near breakfast time (i. e., rice-eating); lë-ji dòkdòk-lo, we have almost arrived; dàn-ji dòkdòk-lo, he is about to go. A doubtful fatare may be expressed by -ji added to the present participle, as kondt chainòng-a-ok-si daka kedoji, where should cow's flesh be bere ; chainòng kenamji, I want to buy a bullock.
From the above it will be seen that there is much indefiniteness in the indications of time afforded by the Mikir verb: except -tang for the past complete, and jt for the future, the other saffixes may, according to circumstances, be rendered by the past, present, or future; but the context generally removes all ambiguity.
Conditional phrases are formed by putting -te, if, at the end of the first member, and the Bocond generally in the future with oji.
Conditional Futuro, - nang dam-të, ndng là thèk-dam-st, if yon go you will see him ; nang në pu-të, në klom-ji, if you tell me, I will do it.
The Conditional Past inserts aeon (like, supposing that). before-te; dohon do-äson-të, në là nam ji, if I had money, I would buy it.
The Conditional pluperfect modifies the second member thus, - ndng dam-asòn-te, nang à long lok-ji apotlo, had you gone, you would have got it ; nàng në than asdn-të, në là klòm-tang-lo, if you had explained to me, I would have done it. Other Conditional phrases :nang dam bom-te, lak mu-chòt-jt làng, the farther you go, the more you will be tired, (bom,
to continuo; lak, to be weary ; mu-, elative particle ; chòt, constant affix to me; lang,
verb meaning 'to continue' or 'exist'). nang chòk-per-an mu-chòt-tē, chiru-pèl-dn mu-chdt-pö, the more you beat him, the more he
will cry (chok, to beat; pot, adverb expressing plurality; an, particle of number or
quantity; chiru, to weep). Te may be omitted where the sense is otherwise fixed :
nàng đàm phngthui òng, chung ong ji.
you go high more, cold more will-be, the higher you go, the colder it will grow. nàng pg ông, nàng troi-krỡ òng pô. you speak more, you disobey more will, the more you tell him, the more he will disobey. nàng dohòn -òng Pi, pekòn òng pô. you money giving-more give, waste more will the more money you give him, the more he
will throw away.
