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DECEMBER, 1921)
DICTIONARY OF THE SOUTH ANDAMAN LANGUAGE
159
APPENDIX II-contd.
Examples of use: Class 1. My bow: dia kdrama-. Your hut: ngia bud-. Golat's canoe : golat l'ia rôko-.
Wologa's fish-arrow : wólog'ta tõlbod-. Our turtie : mêta yâdi- Their sow: önta rôgo- The pig's food : reg l'ía yât-.
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Class 2. (a) My man: día abdla-. My husband : d'ab-bula-. Our women : mêtat (a
pail-. Your wife : ng'ab-pail-. Your father: ng'ab-maiola. Your grandfather: ngia maiola. My mother : d'ab-chanola. My grand-mother: dia chanola. Your uncle : ngia maia. My nephew: d'ar.bā- Your children (addressing mother): ng'at-wêjila (see children). My infant son (either parent speaking): dia ota-. My son (over three years) (a) (father speaking): d'arodire. (b) (mother speaking) : d'ab-êtire. Your younger brothers : ng'alatkâm. Your step-sons : ngebet-adenire. My adopted son: d'ôt-châlnga-. Golat's brother-in-law: golat l'ia mama. Wologa's daughter-in-law: wólog'ia ötin. Their daughters (over 3 years of age): öntat bi
(6) Your wife (one lately married) ngai (k-yate-. (c) Our husbands (married with
in, say, three months): am ik-yote-. See App. VIII.
Class 3. (d) My body: dab chàu-. Your krees: ngat lô-. (e) His leg: ar chåg-. Our
hips : marat chorog-..(1) Thy mouth: ngâkà bang.. Their jawbones : akat ekib (g) Thy face: ngig múgu-. Woi's teeth: wôi l'itig tag-. (h) Wóloga's foot; tologômo pag -. Our hands : mòiot köro-. (6) Thy forehead: ngột mdgu- Their heads : Ôtof chéta- My father's spirit : d'ab-maiola l'ót châugala. Your soul : ngôl yolo-. Your heart (bosom, seat of the affections, etc.) : ngô! kdg-. Our hearts (the organ): môlot kék-ta-bana-. 6) Thy waist : ngola kinab- Our women's waists : métat (-) pail l'olot kinab
From the determinate use of possessive pronouns in Class 3 arises the custom of omitting the name of the part of the body referred to after a possessive pronoun, where it is more or less clear what it must be. This is especially the case when the word could refer to many parts of the human body, sufficiently distinguished by the form of the possessive pronoun, as pid-; pij-(hair), éd.; ej-(skin), td-bone), ti-(blood), gümar- (sweat), yflnya-(vein, musclé), nõtnga- (pulse), møn- (brain, marrow, pus). When any doubt is felt or precision is essential the full phrase is used. Examples of omissions :-(1) mótot cheta pij. (the hair of our heads). This is contracted into mộtot rij. On reference to Class 3 (1) it is obvious that reference is made only to the head. (2) ngakat pai éj- (the skin of your lips) might be contracted into ngakat éj- unless it may happen to be necessary to avoid risk of chin being referred to. (3) dig gud td. (the bone of my arm). With the arm outstretched this might be contracted to dig tå- without risk of ambiguity. (4) ngar châg li- (the blood of thy leg) might be expressed by ngar ti-, and no doubt would arise if the limb had either been previously mentioned, pointed to or was bleeding at the time.
