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336
hen-hatòm paiyūh-olchua
kōi-henyuan
t.- Phrases (Compound Words) Classed as Words.
Phrases (compound words) formed of several words thrown together without connectors are very common. They are treated in the sentence precisely as simple words. Indicator Phrases (Compound Nouns).
karl-fip
yo-buybie
alde-shiang
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
time-night, night-time. man-jungle, jungle
man.
head-hill, hill-top.
(1) tumtie
anh-chaki-fòin
ânha-oal-hindel
Explicator Phrases (Compound Adjectives). yo-hny e-tai
big-side, corpulent.
dōh-eingabe
moah-toah
wish-drunk, intem.
perate.
Predicator Phrases (Compound Verbs). just-now-sweet, be
come sweet.
a
--lah
suff. + leg (2) om-tum-lah pref. tie leg
inform-ear, send word. make-road-water, drain.
The use of such phrases (compound words) as single words is proved by the following examples: - I. Roots: rü, shade; kôi, head. Then (1) ha-ru- -ngare go into the shade pref. shade suff.
(2) ha-ru-kōî
take shelter
pref. shade head
shade the head
(8) ha-ru-ya-koi-re pref. shade suff. head suff.
In this case we have:
ingāhñe-nâng
wi-kaiyi-dak
(1) tum-a--koal tie suff. arm (2) om-tum-kodl pref. tie + arm
(1) root pref. + suff. (simple word)..
(2) root 1 root 2+ pref. (compound word).
(3) root 1+ pref. + suff. first word (+) root 2+ suff.
[NOVEMBER, 1907.
life-face-crossbow, bolt of c. contents-gun, cartridge.
nose-breast, teat.
second word, the whole being a compound word. The third case shows clearly that the whole compound is looked upon as one word grammatically constructed.
II. Roots: tum28 (lost r.), tie; lah, leg. Then
wish-drunk-make, intoxicating. can-recover, able.
JII. Roots: tum (lost r.), tie; koal, arm.
tied by the leg (simple word)
tie the legs (compound word)
tied by the arms, pinioned (simple word) tie by the arms, pinion (compound word)
III. ETYMOLOGY.
a.-Classification of Words Depends Primarily on Their Order in the Sentence.
It has been already noted that the Nicobarese relies mainly on the position and inherent qualities of his words, i. e., on their nature, for a complete expression of his meaning, and that there is nothing in the external form of the words which necessarily indicates their class, or 38 This root is seen again in such words as tom-8, tom-mol, collect, gather: ha-töm, assemble.
