________________
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
NOVEMBER, 1907.
OL
sharp
to
an
ta
buy
j. - Expression of the Functions and Interrelation of Words. It will have been observed that the Nicobarese express the interrelation of the components of their sentences by functional connectors (in their case prepositions ), which form, therefore, an important part of their speech. Thus:
(1) lamang ten chua
belong to (2) inoat
shong knife c. i.r. kwomhata ten chua give
I iteak kamhengen asleep noon
c. i. r. he (is) leat etchai-chaka-lebare chua oal kaiyi de did read-aloud
I in road own harra ta
chau
de ta finowa tai chia see c. i. r. elder brother own c . i. r. beat by father chua finowa tas
taong
olhaki beat by he c. i. r. past-of-to-day morning paitshe shi
loeot ta ofe Bome old
cloth possess. c. i. r. they (10) katom yuang kamatoka kakat
• wahe how-many? persons dancers present c. i. r. last-night (13) oal hoptep men
ta
ngong box
you c. i. r. nothing (14) ane kanyut halau men
longtoten chi that coat
you from
who chua oklakngato an kato ta ni chua
permithe live c. i. r. hut I
k. - Connectors (Prepositions ). The functional connectors (prepositions and connector-phrases are necessarily numerous and their use quite simply expressed. The commonest are :
Table of "Prepositions." CENTRAL DIALECT. ENGLIBE.
CENTRAL DIALECT. ENGLISH ten, an, ta, tatai to, at, on (object) yo
to (place) tai
en, at, kat oal, òl
in enyah
after yol, yiang, hokaio with
pat, taihit, hatyôl hatyiang
} without longto, lòngtoten, ngatai, yang,
from
kâe longtota, chaka,
concerning lamongtotai ngashi
about, in relation yôna-ta-kae S for, account of, to
1 sake of henshât-kae for, place of hēangechuk
among mongyuangñe between
talashiak
along-side tanúak
beneath
harôh-tomtare except ogūhta
till, until tamang
88-far-as ta-tangtatai,
tamat 818-well-as
during hēangetai; okalhare
across yöhne
through (& solid) õakne
through a fluid A good example of their use is the following: an okaihanga
powah lòngto t a oal düe chila he took-away-south paddle from 0.i.r. in canoe I (he took away to the South the paddle ont of (from inside of) my canoe ).
