________________
NOVEMBER, 1907.)
RECORD OF THE LANGUAGES OF SAVAGES.
329
go
h. - Order of Connected sentences. Connected sentences are usually joined by referent conjunctors (conjunctions) and in such cases the principal sentence is followed by the subordinate.
(17) linhen chit leap okngók (principal sentence) taina (r. c.) tu (subordinate sentence.). ata mer milah laok
taina chia yo you play outside (prin, sentence) because I wish iteak sleep (sub. sentence ) (go and play outside, because I want to sleep). paiyuh hat dôh katoka
hen mikasha man
not can dance (prin sentence) when sing kõi-haki solemn-chaunt (sub. sentence).
(one cannot dance, when singing the solemn chaunt).
Referent substitutes (pronouns) are often, though not always, used in both of two consecutive sentences. Thus:
ka, who, which, chichi, ya, whoever in the prin, sentence with shina, the same, in the sub. sentence. kae, whatever
Except when thus used shina should therefore be regarded as a referent conjunctor . (conjunction).
i. - Expression of Conneoted Purposes. But the tendency of the Nicobarese in indicating connected purposes by speech is to treat the subordinate sontence as an integral part of the principal, and to avoid breaking up speech into separate sentences connected by referent conjunctors (conjunctions). E. g.
(6) ledt etchai-chaka-lebars chua oal kaiyi de
did read-aload I in road own There are two connected purposes in the sentences of this statement: (1) "I read aloud," (2) "while I was travelling." But the Nicobarese treats them as one by turning the subordinate sentence oal-kaiyi-de into an explicator (adjective) phrase attached to the subject "chua, I." (7) etchai-shaka-lebare chua tanang 1 ta
an read-aloud
arrive c. i. r. he Here the two connected purposes of the statement are more apparent. The information is (1) "I was reading aloud," (2) "he arrived." 'But the Nicobarese has treated the subordinate sentence et chas-chaka-lebare chua as an illustrator (adverb) phrase of the principal sentence tanang ta an. (8) harrata chua
de ta finowa tai chia see c. i. r. elder brother own c. 1. r. beat by father an kenyum leat chim. his child
did cry . Here we have (1) “his child cried," (2) "on seeing its elder brother beaten by its father.” But the subordinate sentence harra ta chau de ta finowa tai chia is treated by the.. Nicobarose as an explicator (adjective) phrase of the subject an kenyum.
