Translated and Edited by Sidney H. Ray, M.A., from the Manuscript of the Rev. Father Egedi, S.C.
Vowels: a, e, i, o, u.
Consonants: k, g; t, d; p, b, f, v; m, n; r, l; s; y.
The vowels are pronounced as in Italian, the consonants as in English. The sound of the Italian c is also found, but is rare.
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between o and u. Ex. ombo(le) or umbo(le), belly.
G, b, and d, are often preceded by a nasal, sometimes constant (and then marked in the vocabulary), sometimes variable according to the pronunciation of individuals. For the nasals m is employed before p and b, and n before other consonants.
The i and y are very difficult to distinguish, especially when they follow one another. Ex. iye or ye, or ie, tree; iangolo or yangolo, ear. Father Egidi wrote j for y.
The l and r are very difficult to determine. Ex. aliete or ariete, to salute; naul’i and naur’i, my eye. In the vocabulary l is used generally.
The s is often ts. Ex. tsivu and sivu; su(le) and tsu(le grass. Also in the future suffix t or ts. Ex. nati or natsi, I will eat.
A great number of Fuyuge words terminate in an open syllable of which the vowel is generally e. This syllable is usually omitted at the end of a phrase, and nearly always when the following word commences with a consonant. But if the following word begins with a vowel the final e only falls away. Thus the complete form of a word is rarely used, except to avoid confusion, or for the sake of emphasis. The following are examples:
ovo(le), pig: ovol’ ovoge, boar, ovo momombe, sow.
ifa(ne), beautiful: ifa ta, very fine, ifan’ aka, less fine.
da(le), who? nu da? who art thou? dal’ aua? who is this?
i(nde), to give: ne i, give me, ne ind’ u, give it to me.
-a(le), with: andal’ a? with what? indiv’ al’ ongai, cut with the knife.
a(le), here: a mo ma? must I put it here? al’ itatsi, he will sleep here.
u(ne), and: kitoval’ u kene, black parroquet and white, amb’ un’ ale, banana and sugar cane.
Note (1). The b in an elision sometimes changes to p. Ex. obe, bud, op’indie, to bud.
(2). Sometimes two syllables are elided: Ex. taume, tame, from which comes ovo ta, a tame pig, and ovo taum’ ifa, the tame pig is good.
(3). Words which do not end in e, rarely elide a final vowel, and never the last syllable. Ex. kuku, tobacco, kuk’ oko nei, give me a little tobacco; na, I, nu, thee, ongo at the foot of, na n’ ong’ ando, I am at thy feet; umbubi, wash, umbub’ u, wash him.
(4). Some verbs in -ri or -li however often omit this syllable. Ex. ivo(ri) to wipe, na ga kodig’ ivo, I have wiped the plates; tsimi(li), to lick, ama tsimi, lick the salt; itu(lili) to split, ol’ itu, split the wood.
In the grammar and vocabulary the syllable which may be elided is enclosed in a bracket, and in compound words and phrases the elision is marked with an apostrophe, as in the preceding examples.
1. A final o sometimes changes to u if the word following begins with a vowel.
Ex. oko, some, a little, kuk’ oku ind’ uno, give him some tobacco to smoke.
2. An initial o, on the other hand, sometimes changes to u when the preceding word begins with a.
Ex. ongo, under; na ungo ando, remain at my feet.
3. The final a of the word na, I, becomes e when it is followed by the verb indi in the imperative.
Ex. ne i, ne inde, give me, but nuga na indi, thou hast given me.
There is no modification or grammatical difference to mark gender.
Sex is indicated by separate words in the case of human beings: an(e) man, me(le) boy, ena(ne) brother, amu(le) woman, ame(le) girl, eta(de) sister.
For mammals the words avoge, male, or momobe, female, follow the noun: ovol’ avoge, boar, ovo’ momobe, sow.
Dr. Strong notes that the sex of birds is sometimes denoted by the adjective ifa(ne), good, i.e., “ornamented,” for the male bird, and ifan’ ul’ amu, the “wife of the ornamented” for the female: uruv’ ifa, the male hornbill; uruv’ ifan ul’ amu, the female hornbill.
Only nouns indicating persons have been found with plurals. These are formed by changing the final e to i. Sometimes the e is changed to a; this may indicate the dual.
Ex. amu(le) woman, plur. amuli and amula; so(le), young man, plur. soli and sola; me(le), child, plur. meli and mela.
Note (1). The word a(ne) man, has a double plural in two different meanings: ani, the men; ake(da) the married men.
(2). The shortened form of the word is often used in the plural. This naturally is the same as the singular.
1. There is no modification of the noun to express case, but the equivalents of cases are shown by suffixes. The vocative alone often takes a final a as in the interrogative form.
Ex. Tayova, a tsia! Tayo, come here!
The subject, direct object, and indirect object are however easily recognised by their position in the sentence. The subject comes first, followed by the direct object, then the indirect object if there be one, with the verb at the end. If there are complements they immediately precede the word which governs them.
Ex. naga kuku nu inde, I tobacco to thee gave; Baiv’ u mega nembe u fod’ al’ ema, Baiva’s child bird his bow-with killed; nuni ake mu letsi gatsi, thou men their village-to will-go.
2. The genitive is expressed by means of the possessive adjective.
Ex. ovo’u ma, hair of the pig, lit. pig his hair.
3. Persons belonging to a place sometimes omit the adjective.
Ex. A Kotsi, a man of Kotsi; An’Alol’, a man of Alole; Alol’ amu, a woman of Alole; Ambov’amu, a woman of Ambove; Tseluku ul’ akeda, men of Tseluku.
4. Position in a place, or motion to or from a place is shown in the following ways. When the noun has a shortened for -tsi is suffixed. If there is no short form the final e of the noun is changed to i and -tsi is added.
Ex. nani etsi ando, I am in the house; nuni bulitsi gatsi, thou wilt go to the garden; naga Mambutsi l’a tela, I have come here from Mambo.
Note (1). Some proper names of places do not take the suffix -tsi. Ex. amul’ Alol’ itatsi, the woman will sleep at Alole.
(2). Other proper names, especially those of mountains and the villages built on them, take the suffix -tu (upon) instead of -tsi. Ex. Falitu gatsi, I will go to Faliba, lit. I will go upon Faliba.
The noun in Fuyuge has a special form to indicate the interrogative. If the noun ends in e, this vowel is changed to a. If already ending in a, the a takes a strong accent. To any other vowel ending a is added.
Ex. ovo(le) pig: interrog. ovola? is it a pig?
bulomakao, cow, &c.: interrog. bulomakaoa? is it a cow?
kuku, tobacco: interrog. kukua? is it tobacco?
kupa, sweet potato: interrog. kupa? is it a sweet potato?
These are similar to the Interrogative Nouns and are formed by the addition of the syllables -aua, -ana, or -ala instead of a. This form is both affirmative and interrogative.
Ex. oyand’ aua? is it a flower? or, it is a flower.
Tayov’ aua, it is Tayo; kuku aua, it is tobacco; an’ ala, it is a man; Ambov’ ana, it is Ambo.
I. Adjectives have no Gender. In the expression of Case, Interrogative and Demonstrative forms they are the same as Nouns.
Ex. a baibe, amu baibe, man tall, woman tall; uli baibitsi mau, pot big-in put it, put it in the big pot; ifana? is it good? ifan’ ala, it is good.
1. Number.
Number is expressed as with nouns by changing e to i. Some adjectives in -a add i. There are no adjectives with the plural in -a. Some adjectives in -a(ne) have the plural -ai.
Ex. kakava(ne) strong, plur. kakavani; safa(le), plur. safa(li); isosonga, idle, plur. isosongai; aka(ne) small, plur. akai.
2. Agreement.
The adjective always follows the noun which it qualifies, and takes the suffix of the noun.
Ex. a sesada, fence long; emo gai, house old; kodige kisiakatsi, plate little-in: indiv’ amoja(le) knife blunt-with; koua baibitu, box big-on.
Sometimes the pronoun u(ne), his, is placed between the noun and the adjective.
The meaning of this is uncertain, but it appears to be more emphatic, as e.g. “the road which is good,” “the house which is bad.”
Ex, enamb’ un’ ifa, the good road, em’ u koi, the bad house.
The adjective used as predicate immediately follows the noun, without a substantive verb.
Ex. an’ ala gududuba, that man (is) stingy; nuni sesada, thou (art) tall; amu safali, the women (are) weak.
Note.—When the subject is represented by a pronoun of the first or second person dual or plural, the predicate remains singular.
Ex. dini kakava(ne) we (are) strong; yani kapape, you two (are) weak; but, muni isosongai, they (are) idle.
When the predicate expresses a negation the word expressing the quality is followed by the adverb ua(ne) not.
Ex. sesad’ ua, onov’ aka, it is not long, it is short.
3. Comparison.
There is no special form for comparisons. Two positive statements are made, or a superlative may be used.
Ex. My house is larger than yours may be translated: naul’ e baibe, nul’ a kisiaka, my house is large, yours is small, or nul’e baibe, naul’a baibe ta, your house is large, mine is large much.
Equality is expressed by the suffix -umba or -yakala.
Ex. naul’ e, nul’ em’ umba, my house is like your house; nuni sesada, nauyekala, you are tall like me.
A superlative is expressed by the prefix ande, or the suffix -ta. But if the adjective in the superlative expresses a lessening of the quality then -aka(ne) is suffixed.
Ex. baibe, large, ande baibe, larger; ifa, fine, ifata, finer; but ono(ve), short, onov’aka, shorter.
The prefix ande is used only with adjectives which express an idea of extension.
When the adjective expresses an actual state rather than a passive, it is preceded by the sign of past tense, the particle ga.
Ex. ant g’ifa, the breeches are (have become) good; ena ga ko, the road (is) bad.
The demonstrative adjectives in Fuyuge are represented by the suffixes -ana, this, -ala, this, here, -vala that, there. The same expressions translate the French “le voici,” “le voilà.”
Ex. indiv’ana, this knife; eni’ala, this house; enavala, that road.
There is no article, but the expression u mane is used in reference to any thing which has been previously spoken about.
Ex. enamb’ ifa, or enamb’ un’ ifa, it (is) a good road; but enamb u man’ ifa, the road (which has been mentioned) is good.
For these. See Pronouns.
The indefinite adjectives are oko, some, a little, part of; tale(le), several, many; korio, several; gegeto, a few, several; alu(ve), all; urambe, another; none, together, one with the other; dovavemunge? domamai? how many?
Note.—When oko is followed by a word beginning with i, it becomes oku.
Ex. Kuku oko nei, give me some tobacco; nemb’ oko ematsi, they will spear the birds; bodol’ oko tsia, take one of his hands; indiv’ oko ya, take a knife; kuk oko ua, (there is) no tobacco; indiv’ oku i, give him a knife; ake talel’ ando, there are many men; kupa korio inde, give several potatoes; me’ gegeto indiatsi, some children will come; aked’ aluvi etsi ando, all the men are in the village; nau mel’ alu, all my children; indiv’ urambe ya, take another knife; Pitsoke non’ ade, the Pitsoke strike one another; oye non’ ongete, the dogs keep beside each other; kokol’ ul’ ombo dovavemunge? how many eggs? nu sise domamai? how many dog’s teeth?
See Possessive Pronouns.
I. There are only two numerals: fida (ne), one, and gegeto, two. Gegeto is also used for a small number, and gegetom’inda, is little used for three. For more than three, gegeto, meaning “a few,” or tale(le), “many” is used.
II. There are no ordinals and the only distributive is fida fida, one by one.
Singular.
| lst Person | na, nave, nani, | I, me |
| 2nd Person | nu, nove, nuni, | thou, thee |
| 3rd Person | u(ne), ove, uni, | he, she, it, him, her |
Dual.
| lst Person | da, dani, | we, or us two |
| 2nd Person | ya, yani, | you two |
| 3rd Person | tu, tuni, | they, or them two |
Plural.
| 1st Person | di, dini, | we, us |
| 2nd Person | yi yini, | you |
| 3rd Person | mu, muni, | they, them |
1. The first form na, nu, u(ne) etc., is used either as subject or object of the verb, the meaning being only indicated by the position of the word.
Ex. na kuku nu inditsi, I will give thee tobacco; na un’ adatsi, I will strike him; ya di ong’ ando, you two are beside us.
When used before the imperative of the verb indi, to give, na becomes ne.
Ex. ne i, ne inde, give me.
2. The forms nave and ove are rarely used. The commonest use is with the words ete, to say, ende, also.
Ex. nav’ elete, I said; ov’ elete, he said; nav’ ende, nov’ ende, ov’ ende, I also, thou also, he also.
3. The forms nani, nuni, etc., are employed when the verb is understood, or to indicate opposition or emphasis.
Ex. da gatsi? dini; who will go? we (will); nuni kakape ta, nani kakava, you are weak, but I am strong; nani a baibe, I am a great man.
4. The dual is generally observed by the natives. Adjectives used with the dual pronoun take the singular form.
Ex. dani sosonga, we (are) idle,
5. The dual is often employed with two subjects one of which is plural.
Ex. Kakao tu, tsimani u g’anga, Kakao they two, with the policemen, have started.
When dani is used alone it is generally inclusive of the person addressed, and means “I and thou.” If the third person is intended the name is used: dani Okomi’ u da gatsi, we two Okomi with we will go. Yani is used in a similar way, when one of the persons referred to is not present: ya, Dun’u yani natsi, you two Dune with you will go. The use of the conjunction u(ne) with the second member of the subject does not appear to be constant.
6. The pronoun of the third person singular u(ne) when it is the direct object of the verb usually follows, and often takes the form -unde.
Ex. kodigitsi mau, put it in the dish; nag’ al’ unde, I have seen him.
From the pronouns na, nu, etc., are derived by means of the suffix -muku, alone, the forms namuku, numuku, etc., with the meanings, “I alone, without company,” etc.
The suffix -mule, is equivalent to self, namule, numule, etc., myself, thyself, etc.
From nani, nuni, etc., come the forms: naniende, or nanienge, etc., meaning myself in person, etc.; nanieke, nunieke, etc., from -eke, alone; naniova, etc., it is my business, nanibila, I by myself, without help. Nani endebila is more emphatic than nanibila.
Ex. numuku andola? art thou quite alone? da gatsi? uniende; who will go? he himself; nu da? nanienge; who art thou? it is myself; amed’ unieke ando, the chief is alone; ake muniova, it is the men’s business; dinieke al’ andetsi, we will stay here alone; isong’ unibila, his own rainbow appears.
1. These are formed from the simple forms of the personal pronouns by suffixing -ula(ne) literally “his thing.”
| Singular. | Dual. | Plural. |
| 1. naula(ne) | 1. daula(ne) | 1. diula(ne) |
| 2. nula(ne) | 2. yaula(ne) | 2. yula(ne) |
| 3. ula(ne) | 3. tula(le) | 3. mula(ne) |
They translate the English mine, thine, etc. Sometimes in compounds the final n becomes nd. Ex. nauland’ aua, here is mine.
2. The adjectival forms appear without the syllable la.
| Singular. | Dual. | Plural. |
| 1. nau(le) | 1. dau(le) | 1. diu(le) |
| 2. nu(le) | 2. yau(le) | 2. yu(le) |
| 3. u(le) | 3. tu(le) | 3. mu(le) |
These adjectives precede the noun which they govern. With personal nouns the forms naula, etc., are sometimes used.
Ex. nau me and naula me, my son; diu vase and diula vase, our guest.
Note.—The form nulu is heard in the phrase nulu babe, thy father.
The suffix mule is also used in the sense of “own.”
Ex. numul’ ul’ i to, n’ alo, your own name, which I know; namul’ ul i, my own name. These suggest that the true possessive is simply ul(e) or ula(ne).
1. These are: Da(le)? dau(ne)? who, which? anda(le)? what? unau? which? They are used also as adjectives.
Ex. Nu da? who art thou? dau ga ne? who has eaten it? anda l’ elete? what did he say? Ivi: unau? Ivi: which one?
2. When the verb is preceded by the particle ga, dau(ne) must be used instead of da(le).
These are the same as the Indefinite Adjectives.
The suffix niu(ne) or u(ne) takes the place of a relative pronoun.
Ex. A yaigegemune, the man who descends; audati itedemu bulitsi jalo tolom elota, in the garden which they are cutting now when the food is ripe; ovo jamun’ imbade, the meat taken from the pig; fal’ itamun’ akeda, the men who have dug the ground.
The Fuyuge verb is conjugated by modifications of the terminal syllables, or by a particle added to the subject.
The particle ga (often g’ before a vowel) is generally used with the past tense, and is rarely absent in the positive form of the verb. But it may be used also with the present and future. With the present it seems to indicate reference to a preceding action in the sense of “being on the point of,” “ready to.” With the future it has almost the sense of “go.”
Ex. Ake ga nembe na, the men have eaten the bird; amu g’anga the women are gone; naga bulitsi gatsi, I am going to go away to the garden; naga sue, I am going away.
Note (1). Ga always immediately follows the subject, except with the past of the verb ange(ge), to go, which always has g’anga.
(2). When the subject is not a pronoun, the pronoun of the 3rd pers. sing. is often expressed.
(3). Ga never appears to be used in a negative expression.
Ex. Naga ipitsial’ uruv’ ema, I have killed with the gun a toucan; mel ul’ etsi g’anga, the child to his village has gone; Okom’ ug’ nemb’ ema, Okome has killed a bird; ake kupa me na, the men have not eaten the potatoes.
These are not expressed by the verb in Fuyuge.
1. There are three principal tenses, present, past and future. The present is found in the indicative and imperative modes, the past in the indicative only, and the future in the indicative and subjunctive. Besides these, there is a method of expressing the infinitive, a passive participle, and two forms of verbal adjectives.
2. Paradigm of tenses and modes.
| ememe, pierce | umbubi, wash | isiei, follow | |
| Indicative present | ememe | umbubi | isiei |
| Indicative past (1) | ema(me) | umbubi(ne) | isia |
| Indicative past (2) | emo(ne) | ||
| Indicative future | ematsi(me) | umbubitsi(me) | isiatsi |
| Imperative (1) | ema | umbubi | isia |
| Imperative (2) | emau | umbubu | |
| Subjunctive (1) | emo(le) | umbubi(ne) | isio(me) |
| Subjunctive (2) | emo(me) | ||
| Infinitive | ema(me) | umbubi(me) | isie(me) |
| Past participle | emam(ane) | umbubim(ane) | |
| Verbal adjective (1) | emabul(ane) | umbubibul(ane) | |
| Verbal adjective (2) | ememond(ana) |
If the Imperative be regarded as the stem, there appear to be three Conjugations, but Dr. Strong gives four based on past tense, thus: i. Verbs with monosyllabic roots, 2. Verbs with roots in a, 3. Verbs with roots in i, 4. Verbs with roots in e.
His examples are:—
| 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | |
| nen, eat | itede, cut | ongai, break | bole, leave | |
| Present | nene | itede | ongai | bolo |
| Past | na | ita | ongai | bole |
| Future | natsi | itatsi | ongaitsi | bolatsi |
| Imperative | nu | ito | ongai | bo(le) |
| Subjunctive | no | ito | ongai | bolo |
| Infinitive | namubabe | itamubabe | ongaimubabe | bolamane |
| Past participle | namane | itaname | ongaimane | bolamane |
| Adjectival | nab’ula(ne) | itedondona | ongaibula(ne) | bolabula(ne) |
3. Notes on the foregoing paradigms.
a. Indicative present.
Most verbs double the last syllable of the stem, which in the first conjugation always ends in e. There are, however, some exceptions, especially among verbs in i, and those which have a verbal suffix. The syllable -te when doubled is always -tede.
Ex. Nag alili, I see; nani e gadi, I build (tie up) the house; nani okid’ atede, I light the fire.
b. Indicative past.
The difference between the two forms, both of which are preceded by the particle ga, is not yet clearly made out. The ending e seems to refer to the time when the action finished, whilst -a has a more general signification.
Ex. Naga ne, I have eaten, naga kupa na, I ate the potatoes. There is another form which replaces the final syllable of the present tense by -ua. Verbs in -i add -ua to the final syllable. But it is uncertain whether this expresses the near past, or includes an idea of movement.
Ex. na bul’ elelua, I have just worked in the garden; nu a gadi ua, you have just tied up the fence.
c. Indicative future.
If the syllables preceding the suffix -tsi also contain -tsi-ti. In monosyllabic verbs especially, a second form of the future is often found, which retains the doubling of the present tense.
Ex. etsiati, will come; nenetsi, will eat; yeyetsi, will take. For ga with the future, see below.
d. Imperative.
The first form of the imperative has less force than the second. In the first conjugation the second form always terminates in -au, even when the first form is irregular. The last syllable of the imperative is often lost, especially when the ending is -li.
Ex. aitodede, runs, imperat. aitode and aitodau; itulili, ward off, imperat. itu; bole, leaves, imperat. bole, bo, and bolau; ameme, puts, imperat. a and ama.
The imperative is only used for the second person. In the first and third (sometimes even in the second) it is replaced by the subjunctive.
Ex. di ango, let us go; to n’alo, speak, that I may know; go di go, go that we may go.
e. Subjunctive.
The two forms of the subjunctive are distinguished only in composition, and have not yet been clearly understood. The last syllable besides is rarely heard except in questions, and refers then to the interrogative form. The subjunctive without a conjunction is used in simple phrases consisting only of subject and object.
Ex. kuku gadi, di no, roll the tobacco (make cigarette), that we may smoke (eat).
f. Infinitive.
The forms given as infinitive are uncertain. They may be verbal nouns. They are used in phrases such as: nam’ u babe, father of eating, for ’a great eater’: tsimilim’ u babe, father of licking, cf. andaval’ u babe, father of crying, one who causes crying.
g. Past Participle.
This does not easily lose the final syllable when it ends a sentence. In other cases, when it is followed by the word it qualifies it loses -ane, if the qualified word begins with a vowel, and -ne in other cases.
Ex. iy’ ongaimane, the cut tree, indiv’ ongaima ya, or ongaim’ indi’ ya, take the broken knife, g’usangaman’ ul’ ande, the thing of death.
The past participle of some verbs has not yet been ascertained.
h. Verbal Adjectives.
The exact difference between the two forms is not accurately ascertained. The first seems to indicate an instrument, and is equivalent to the phrase “used for,” the second appears to indicate habitual rather than momentary use. When qualifying persons -onde is used for -ondana.
Ex. indi kupa fifitabula, knife for scraping potatoes; ai safatsilibula, a yam which has rotted; kulule iy’ adedondona, a hammer for striking wood; nuni oyatonde, you are only joking; nani falawa me nonde, I don’t eat bread.
In composition -ande, or at least -nde, is lost when the word qualified follows.
Ex. ai filibulanda, a yam for planting, filibula’ ai ne i, give me the yam for planting; ambe nenondana, the eatable banana, nenond’ ambe ya, take the eatable banana.
The negative of the verb is formed by the particle me or mi preceding. In the imperative it also precedes, but when emphasis is laid upon the negation mi follows. The difference between me and mi is not clear, but me appears to be used only before verbs beginning with a consonant, and mi with other verbs.
A negative participle or infinitive does not appear. For the verbal adjective the suffix -ua(ne) is used.
Ex. Na mi alele, I do not understand; nani matsine mi engatsi, I will not put on the (shell) bracelet; mi unde, do not fear; kolose mi, do not play; me ya, do not take; nenond’ an’ ua, what is not eaten.
The interrogative is only employed with reference to the verb itself, not to the complements. It changes with the conjugation and varies for present, past and future tense.
| Present. | Past 1. | Past 2. | Future 1. | Future 2. |
| ememoma? | emama? | emena? | emolà? | emómà? |
| umbubima? | umbibia? | umbubina? | umbubila? | umbubima? |
The present in the first conjugation keeps the reduplication of the stem, and changes the final e to -oma. The second conjugation simply adds -ma. The interrogative in the past simply changes the e of the positive indicative to a in both forms. The future is formed in the same way from the subjunctive with a stress upon the final a in the first conjugation.
Ex. Nuga malele yera? have you taken the book? uga nemb’ emama? has he killed the bird? nu aiti golà? would you start to-morrow? kupa g’ilama? are the potatoes cooked?
Note (1). The future interrogative replies to the question, “Can I...”? or “Should I...”?
(2). The interrogative of the near past (cf.p. 318, 3, b) is formed by substituting -una for -ua.
Ex. nug’ em’ aliluna? Have you just come to see the village?
(3). The form of the second future as umbibia is rarely heard, except with the verb alili, see, from which comes ’Aria? see?
(4). The negative interrogative is formed like the simple negative by me or mi preceding the verb.
The questions “What should I do?” “What should I say,” How should I begin it?” are translated by the expression do(le)... maiti, from do(le)? where?
Ex. dotamaiti? how should I say? dol’ imaiti? what should I do? do yela maiti? how shall I call?
1. In the present tense there is no substantive verb. The predicate and subject are combined as in the examples already given (cf. p. 312, 2). But when the present indicates a state in opposition to one preceding it, ga is used before the adjective, or if in opposition to a future state, the verb ando follows.
Ex. Kuku ga ko, the tobacco is bad; balava ga ua, the bread is finished; indi ga kouatu, the knife is on the box; ambe g’ifa, the banana is good; ambe gos’ ando, the banana is (still) green (not ripe).
The past is more difficult to express. It always requires an adverb of time.
Ex. Mele maleke ifa, audati ga ko, the child formerly was good, now he is bad.
3. For other tenses the verb is translated only by the auxiliaries -elele and -angege, for which cf. p. 322, 7.
1. The particle ga may be used to make any expression whatever attributive.
Ex. Yu g’ua, the water is finished (i.e., is not); malele ga kouatsi, the book is in the box.
In such examples there is almost the sense of a past action, as if it were “The water (has become) nothing,” “the book has been put (is already in) the box.”
2. The verbs ete, tede, to say, or to do, and elele, to become, are often used to form a noun stem into a verb. Ete and tede give the sense of sounding, elele gives the sense of using whatever the noun expresses.
Ex.
fioli, flute, fioliete, to play the flute.
yuve, water, yuv’ elele, to bathe.
ule, thunder, ulonete, to thunder.
ivule, dye, ivul’ elele, to paint one’s self.
andavale, crying, andav’ ete, to weep.
bule, earth, bul’ elele, to cultivate.
3. The Tenses, etc., of these verbs are found as follows:
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Pres. indic. | ete or tede. | elele. | Imperative. | ta. | elau, ele, e. |
| Past indic. | te(ne). | elame. | Subjunctive. | to(me), to(le). | elo(me), elo(le). |
| Past indic. | ta(me). | elene. | Infinitive. | ta(me). | ela(me). |
| Future indic. | tatsi(me). | elatsi(me). | Verbal adj. | tond(ana). | ? |
4. The negative is formed regularly by mi.
Ex. nani yu mi elatsi, I shall not bathe; degu mi e, don’t get dirty.
5. The interrogative is regular.
Pres. or past, tena? or tama? elena? or elama? Fut. toma? and tola? eloma? and elola?
6. The auxiliaries ete, tede, elele, should be distinguished from the regular verb, tede or ta, to make. The latter is a distinct verb used when the result of the action is to produce a new thing.
Ex. Sambari tatsi, will make a wall; ombo tatsi, will make a sieve.
7. The verbs elele and angege, both meaning “to become,” may be regarded as auxiliary verbs when they are used with adjectives, often taking the place of a substantive verb. In this use elele is never, and angege very rarely used in the past tense, the particle ga taking their place.
Both are regular except in the imperative, which has respectively ela and elau, ange and angau.
Ex. Ifan’ eloma? will he become handsome? ifa mi elatsi? he will not be handsome? indi g’ ifa, the knife is good; yuv’ uan angatsi, the water will cease (become nothing); mel g’ us’ anga, or me g’ use, the child is dead.
1. The suffix -i, added to a noun stem, forms generally a neuter verb.
Ex. abe, work, abi, to work; iso(ne), smoke, isoni, to give forth smoke; kese, a clean vegetable, kesi, to clean vegetables.
2. The suffix -tede, added to a noun stem, forms usually an active verb.
Ex. foye, ashes, foitede, to cook in ashes; gurube, neck, gurutede, to hang at the neck.
3. The suffix of manner defining the verb, is formed by adding the adjective with the final syllable changed to -i.
Note (1). The suffix of manner is always added to the infinitive form of the preceding verb.
(2). In the negative these compound verbs are considered a single word.
Ex. te, say, ifane, good, tam’ ifani, to say well. i, do, koye, bad, i’koi, to do badly. ilele, cook, akane, small, ilam’akani, to half-cook.
4. The suffix -matede appears to have a causative signification.
Ex. ga koda (perhaps the past of kodede,) pierced, komatede, to pierce (of a man); ga siuda, extinguished, siumatede, to extinguish.
Note. This suffix appears in some examples as a separate verb in the same sense.
Ex. yuv’ olola mata, warm up the water; indi koi matatsi, the knife will become bad.
The negative is not known.
5. The suffixes -meme and -ngo are added to neuter verbs. The first has an active meaning, the second is passive.
Ex. yu, to be upright, yuma, to put upright, yungo, to be upright. yari(?), yarima, to hang, yaringo, to be hanging.
Note (1). Meme is regularly conjugated; -ngo is imperfectly known.
(2). Negative forms are me yumatsi, will not place upright, mi yaringo, not hanging.
6. The auxiliary verbs, except ga, may perhaps be included among the suffixes (see p. 322, VIII.).
The prefix ya- renders a neuter verb active or causative.
Ex. yaigege, to go down, yeyaigege, to carry down. faikadede, to come back, yefaika(dede), to give back. yu, to stand up, yeyu, to set up.
1. Many verbs are irregular in the imperative.
Ex.
| angege, imperat. | ange, go. |
| atede, imperat. | ade, kindle, burn. |
| ende, imperat. | ende, undo. |
| etsie, imperat. | etsie, come up (ladder). |
| faikadede, imperat. | faika(dede), go back. |
| idede, imperat. | de, gather, pluck. |
| isie, imperat. | isia, follow; |
| itede, imperat. | ide, sting, bite. |
| itulili, imperat. | itu(li), split. |
| ivori, imperat. | ivo(ri), wipe. |
| kosisi, imperat. | kose, turn. |
| telele, imperat. | te(le), come. |
| yelele, imperat. | ye(le), call. |
2. Other irregular verbs are the following. Only those forms known are entered.
Aitodede, to run: imperat. attode, infin. aitode(me).
ando and ande, to be there: fut. andetsi, imperat. ande, subj. ando, and ande.
bole, to leave: past, bo(le), imperat. bo(le).
ete, to tell: past, ete and elete, imperat. eta and ta.
faduatsiete, to ache (head): fut. faduatatsi.
iei, to throw: fut. iatsi, imperat. ia.
indi, to give;, imperat. i(nde), subj. i(ndi).
ingale, to carry (on shoulder): past, ingala and inge, imperat. inga, subj. ingo.
itede and ito, to lay down: past, ito and ita, near past, itova, imperat. ito.
songe, to go: pres. and past, se, near past, sova, imperat. so(nge), subj. so, interrog. sona?
sue, to walk, go: pres. sue, fut. susuetsi.
utsisi, to draw: fut. utsist, imperat. ude.
Note (1). The verbs ando and ito are not yet accurately understood.
(2). The verb ete has a double conjugation, the initial e being retained or omitted at will. The past elete is used in reporting the words of another person.
(3). The verb faduatsiete is a type of several verbs which end in ete, preceded by the syllable tsi. All these appear to lose tsi in the future, although some have both forms.
Ex. kiovatsiete, to cry (of black parrot): fut. kiovatatsi and kiovatsitatsi.
puatsiete, to make a cracking noise: fut. puatatsi and puatsiatsi.
(4). The verb sue in the meaning “go away” always has ga.
Ex. nu ga sua? na ga sua, are you going away? I am going away.
The verb angege, to go, in the past tense has the particle ga prefixed to the verb instead of suffixed to the pronoun.
Ex. na nul etsi ganga, I went to your village.
1. Tede and i.
There is a difference in the meaning of the verbs tede, (ete) and i, both used for “do” or “make.” The first is used when the object by which one obtains the action is indicated, the second is used when the action only is expressed, and might then be translated by the phrase “to go to work, to set about.”
Ex. olon’ete, to snore, make a sound with the olo(ne hole, i.e., the nostrils, ung’ul ’olo. na (melauk’) i koitsi, I shall do the thing wrong.
2. Gege, angege, engege, songe.
All of these have the general meaning of “go.” Their differences are not yet clearly understood. Engege appears to mean “go up.” Songe is specially employed when the following phrase indicates a final proposition, or an answer to the questions “Where do you come from?” or “Where are you going?”
Ex. nuni o’ gega, thou hast passed down there; di engo, let us go up; na song’ em’ aritsi, I am going to see the village; nu do sona? where have you been? (or, where do you come from?); na bulitsi sova, I have been in the garden (or, I have come from the garden).
3. Idede.
This verb has a general meaning besides the special one “to gather.”
Ex. fang’ idede, to set a trap; di yu molots’ idoma? should we make a water-pipe?
4. Ameme.
This verb has the general meaning of passing, or making anything pass, through an opening. The object which has the opening does not take suffixes.
Ex. kupa ulin’ ama, put the potatoes in the pot; na ul’ olol’ amene, I passed it through the hole; iso nu emana? andavete, does the smoke irritate you? you are weeping.
I. Adverbs generally precede the verb which they modify. The exceptions are the interrogative na? (is it not so?) which always comes at the end of the sentence, and -ta (at first), which follows the verb.
Ex. aiti balava natsi, to-morrow bread I shall eat; aiti nu inditsi na? to-morrow I will give it you, shall I not? kuku neta, I eat the tobacco at first.
Note.—This ta appears to be almost a conjunction, and the phrase might be translated “when I shall have smoked (eaten) the tobacco.”
do(le)? where.
a(le)), here.
va(ie), there.
ombatsi, underneath.
gisa(le), far.
ime(li)? far.
kugume, near.
tsi, inside.
val’enga, outside.
tu, on, over
ibe(le), down there.
o(me), up there.
yo(le), there above.
The adverbs of time are not very definite. For example audati, “to-day, now,” means also “in a few days” or “a few days ago.” The latter meaning is also attributed to arima, and the former to aiti.
aida? when?
vomarima, day before yesterday.
arima, yesterday.
male(ke), formerly.
malieke), formerly.
audali), to-day, now.
aiti(me), to-morrow.
vomaiti, day after to-morrow.
talele, often, for ever.
dedi, just now, later (near).
ido(ve), not yet (with fut.) immediately.
ulsienga, later on, in the future.
utsimata, later on, in the future.
utsinenga, later on, in the future.
kelavalage, for a time.
-ta, at first.
vo(ye, again.
dovavemunge? how much? how many?
domamai? how much? how many?
avevemunge, as much, so much, as many, so many.
tale(le), many.
apa(le), enough.
kisiaka, few, little.
oko, few, little.
-ta, very.
ande, very.
boboi, entirely, quite.
gegeto, few.
Note. When apa is used with a numeral it precedes it. Ex. apa gegeto, two are sufficient.
e, yes.
akai(ge), truly.
g’akai, truly.
me! what! certainly!
ila! I who knows?
ua(ne), not, no.
nà? is it not (French, n’est ce pas?).
óuo! not at all, by no means.
andal’ai(me)? why?
Note. Me, óuo, and ila are almost interjections.
The adverbs of manner are often replaced by noun suffixes attached to the verb, with the final i. (See Verbal Suffixes, p. 323).
unoi, together.
akaumai(nge), further, beyond, besides.
uneke, only.
ende, also.
elele, quickly.
dedi, slowly
fidefide, continually.
kela, without reason, gratis.
Note. When ende modifies a verb with subject in the third person, it is preceded by the pronoun ove. Ex. nau fud’ ov’ ende fufuli, my bones (they) also ache.
Only two prepositions are found in Fuyuge. These are ise, near, and ga, by.
Ex. aked’ is’ okid’ ando, the men are near the fire; ganda? ga ma! by what do you swear? by the thread.
Note. Ga, in the sense of “by,” is much used, and corresponds to a kind of oath.
1. All the postpositions are used as suffixes to the words which they govern. When the noun to which they are suffixed has a double form, the postposition is added to the short form.
Ex. uli-tsi from uli(ne) pot: fatsi from fa(le), ground.
There are however some exceptions.
2. When the postposition begins with a consonant, the final e of a noun changes to i.
Ex. kodigi-tsi from kodige, plate; bulitsi from bule, garden.
3. The postpositions are often used as nouns.
Ex. balava u tsi ido asi, the inside of the loaf is still raw.
-ai(me), because of, for: ovol’ aim’ andavete, I weep for the pig.
-a(le), with, by (instrumental): isong’ al’ oki ya -andal’ a? isong’ ale, take the fire with the tongs—with what? with the tongs; amul’ al’ ul’ese, the woman with her child; uli sond’ al’ ale, a pot with a handle.
-ala, to, adherent to, along: yo’ ata yarima, hang it on the rattan; enamb’ ata malele yatsi, I will take it along the road.
-fendateme, near (within bounds): Sivu Alo fendatem’ ando, Sivu is near Alo.
-noi, with (?): yini danoi gatsi, you will go with us two.
-ongo, before, at the side of (with an idea of inferiority): na nu ongo ando, I am before thee (at thy service); non’ ongo, one beside the other.
-enga, from the side of, towards: nani Ambov’enga g’anga, I have been (gone) towards Ambove.
-kaine, towards: dedi yi kaine tsiati, later on I will come towards you.
teti, under: sosoeteti ando, he is under the bed.
tsi, to (movement, and time, rest), at, at the place of (Fr. chez): nani etsi andota, u bulitsi g’anga, I am in the house, he has gone into the garden; naga Mambutsil’ a tela, I am come here from Mambo; kouatsi ma, put it in the box; tutsi etsiati, he will come in the night; nu datsi sona? who has he been with?
-tu, upon (to or at places on mountains): kulumitu, ma, put it on the table; Falitu g’anga, he is gone to Faliba.
Note. Ale in the sense of “with” is used when the second substantive is considered as an accessory to the first. Ex. an’ al amu, a married man (man with a wife); uli sondal’ ale, pot with a handle. There are not yet enough examples to distinguish the two forms.
u mome, above: kurum’ u mome yarime, hang it over the table; u bane, behind; mel’ an’ u ban’ ando, the child is behind the man; ul’ umbo(le), in the middle of; Veke ul’ umbol’ ando, he is at Vee.