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884
(11) for bundles of split-cane and wood-chips. pomak
chumvi
(12) for bundle of cane.
meküya
(13) for bundles of firewood. mindl
(14) for bundles of tobacco. lamem (15) for books.
amoka
(16) for ladders.
chamink da
(17) for pieces of cloth.
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
shamanap
(18) for cord and fishing lines.
tafual
tak
kamilang
Another set of numeral coefficients for "pair" is used in the same way.
pair
pair
pair
milima
tanai kotatai dn kochat foan kongaláh loe koñenge Joan koshtohaka issat koshianha
amok
of cooking pots.
This principle is carried rather far in the following instances:amok is also used for two pairs of bamboos for shell-lime.
[NOVEMBER, 1907.
of cocoanuts, rupees, edible birds' nest. of bamboos for shell-lime.
kamintap is a set (4 to 5) of cooking pots.
noang is a set of ten pieces of tortoise-shell.
EXAMPLE-loe noang okkáp, three sets of tortoise-shell, i. e., 30 pieces. Numeral coefficients appear again in yet another way in the following instances: - tanai shud, five times, but
five times (for hammering and hand work) two times (for jumping) four times (for going)
three times (for talking, singing)
four times (for eating, drinking, feeding)
seven times (for washing, bathing)
p.-Elliptical Sentences.
Elliptical sentences are very common: the obvious predicate being usually unexpressed. iteak poatôre kamheng en an, noon (is) always asleep for him.
an hat hoan men, he (is) not your child.
q. Analytical Nature of the Language,
We can now perceive generally how the Nicobarese mind regards speech. A Nicobarese has no idea of using variation in the external form of words to indicate the functions of the sentences and the interrelation of the component words, but uses position and special additional words (connectors) for those purposes: nor does he use anything but position to indicate the functions of his words. He must consequently, to make himself intelligible, rely mainly on the order of his words, in the sentence, which thus becomes of the greatest importance to him. His language is, therefore, essentially a Syntactical Language of the analytical variety. Briefly it may be described as an Analytical Language.
r. Order of Speech.
To the Nicobarese instinct the logical order of speech for all purposes is as follows:(1) subject before predicate.
(2) subject, predicate, complement (object).
(3) explicator (adjective) before indicator (noun): or with connector (preposition) after indicator,
