Sometimes, especially at Taupo, and, we understand, at the East Cape,aiis often used where thesequenceoroppositionofaction is but faintly, if at all, expressed. The following is correct in Waikato: E pa, kei hea tetahi wahi mo matou? kokoa kotoatiaaie koe te whenua nei,friend where is there a portion for us? why you have monopolized the whole of the land.Note 1.—The place ofaimay be often supplied bynei,na, orra; e. g., koia ahau i haere mainei.Note 2.—Aiis often erroneously omitted and erroneously introduced by foreigners, and those who wish to propound a statement accurately will do well to observe its use.Forai, as used in connexion with the verbal particles, and the verbs. (See Syntax.)
Sometimes, especially at Taupo, and, we understand, at the East Cape,aiis often used where thesequenceoroppositionofaction is but faintly, if at all, expressed. The following is correct in Waikato: E pa, kei hea tetahi wahi mo matou? kokoa kotoatiaaie koe te whenua nei,friend where is there a portion for us? why you have monopolized the whole of the land.
Note 1.—The place ofaimay be often supplied bynei,na, orra; e. g., koia ahau i haere mainei.
Note 2.—Aiis often erroneously omitted and erroneously introduced by foreigners, and those who wish to propound a statement accurately will do well to observe its use.
Forai, as used in connexion with the verbal particles, and the verbs. (See Syntax.)
Ano.This is a particle much used in assertions and replies. Its meaning will vary with that of the word to which it is postfixed.
It is used in combination with other particles, as follows:
Ano, in the beginning of sentences, seems with Ngapuhi to admit of a wider application than what is generally heard in Waikato; e. g.,Anoka tae ki te whare,and when he came to the house.
N.B.—No, also, with the same people, seems to admit of a somewhat similar application.
Rais a particle corresponding in its use withneiandra, and is frequently used to supply the place of the relativewhich; e. g.,
It is sometimes used in commands and energetic sentences, forThen.
Often in replies; E pai ana? Aera.
Koais a particle used mostly in correcting, &c., another speaker or oneself:
It is difficult to define its meaning in the following phrases:
Uis often used as a mere expletive. Sometimes it has force in exculpatory sentences; e. g.,
Note.—Though often used as an expletive,uwill not, however, admit of being thrust into every sentence. Some foreigners seem peculiarly fond of using it. The following use of it is, at least in Waikato, erroneous: "A he tangata nui hoki a Hone, he rangatira hokiua ratou." We are unable, we confess, to state the meaning of this last clause. The speaker, perhaps, intended the prepositionnobyu a, "a chief of their party."
Hoki; Some of the uses ofhokihave been inserted under the adverbs. We shall give a brief view of the principal of them here. Its more general uses are,also,for,because:
This form we approve much of for expressing the following: "for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ," kua matenei hoki, &c., i. e.,inasmuch as, &c.
Kau; Ririkau,angry without cause.
Me,while;Mete hongi,mete tangi,and saluting, and crying; i. e.,while saluting he is crying.
With;[28]E mahi anamete whakaaro ano ki te utu, he is working,andis at the same time mindful of payment.
As;Mekoutou hoki i wakarere i to koutou kainga,asye also left your country.
As far as;Mekonei,meWaitemata,as far as from here to Waitemata.
If;Me he meae pai ana,if he is willing.Mei kahore koe, if it had not been for you.
Ma,and, (a numeral conjunction.) vid. numerals, page 24.
Mei, (Waikato)inasmuch as, as you may judge from, (vid.hoki. Same asina hokiof Ngapuhi.)
Koia,therefore;koiai riri ai,therefore was he angry.
Naanda. These particles are of very great use in Maori. They correspond very closely with particlevāhvof Hebrew, and may be recognised in our translations as occupying the place ofand,then,therefore,but, &c. Those who have not access to Professor Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon, will, we are sure, read with pleasure his remarks upon its parallel in Hebrew. "It was a part of the simplicity of ancient language to mark merely the connexion of ideas, without expressing those nice distinctions of thought, which are designated by the use ofcausal,adversative,disjunctive, and other conjunctions. The prefixvahvretains this variety of signification, though other more definite conjunctions are also in use." This is precisely the case with Maori.
Ina,ua, (ana, Waikato)when;Inakorero ahau,whenI speak.
If, (occasionally,) chiefly in cases in which contingency is attached towhen:
Heoi(Ngapuhi), and heoti (Waikato), is a particle which corresponds sometimes witha, andna, in its uses. It generally, however, implies opposition, and might be translated bybut, &c. Sometimes also, it has the meaning ofso,then, and sometimes, (particularly in Waikato,) it is, in the end of sentences, redundant.
Ara,and then, &c.; e. g.,
Note.—This particle is very often used as an adverb for videlicet, forsooth, &c.
Note.—Ahakoa will almost always precede in the sentence, e. g., The following "though we were sinners he loved us," should thus be renderedahakoahara noa tatou arohaina ana tatou e ia.
Following are a few examples of phrases which supply the place of conjunctions:
The particleaiis very useful in supplying the place of conjunctions. (Vid. our remarks on it.)
[28]This particle will often supply a good substitute forwith, when it denotes connexion, &c., a meaning which we believe to be but seldom expressed byki. (vid. prepositions, page 55.)[29]Some foreigners, we observe, useme i mua; this, however, is decidedly erroneous.[30]The learned student will, however, notice that these words, as well askeia, are only prefixed to conclusions which are thenatural and necessary effectof a preceding proposition. For example, we might usemo reira, &c., in such a sentence as the following: "Men are sinners,thereforemen are exposed to the wrath of God:" because the preceding proposition is clearly acauseof the latter.We could not, however, use any of them in such propositions as the following: "the Tohungas are liars,thereforethe New Zealander listens to liars;" "the Sun shines,thereforethe sun is a luminous body;" "man is an animal,thereforeman has sensation;" because it would not be true to say, that, because the Tohunga is a liar, he is therefore listened to; because the sun shines it is luminous; or, because man is an animal he has sensation.Wherever, then, the connection with the preceding proposition is eitheraccidentalorabstract, we must have recourse to other words, such asna,a,ra,pea, &c., and these are largely used in our translations. (vid. Mat. 5, 37—24—42, and N. T.passim.)The affirmative particlesinaandae rawill often supply a good substitute, and will perhaps be logically correct. For the conclusion is the proposition that wein principioaffirm to be true, and having proved it, we then authoritatively pronounce it to be so. (vid. our remarks onae, &c., note, under adverbs ofaffirmation.)
[28]This particle will often supply a good substitute forwith, when it denotes connexion, &c., a meaning which we believe to be but seldom expressed byki. (vid. prepositions, page 55.)
[29]Some foreigners, we observe, useme i mua; this, however, is decidedly erroneous.
[30]The learned student will, however, notice that these words, as well askeia, are only prefixed to conclusions which are thenatural and necessary effectof a preceding proposition. For example, we might usemo reira, &c., in such a sentence as the following: "Men are sinners,thereforemen are exposed to the wrath of God:" because the preceding proposition is clearly acauseof the latter.
We could not, however, use any of them in such propositions as the following: "the Tohungas are liars,thereforethe New Zealander listens to liars;" "the Sun shines,thereforethe sun is a luminous body;" "man is an animal,thereforeman has sensation;" because it would not be true to say, that, because the Tohunga is a liar, he is therefore listened to; because the sun shines it is luminous; or, because man is an animal he has sensation.
Wherever, then, the connection with the preceding proposition is eitheraccidentalorabstract, we must have recourse to other words, such asna,a,ra,pea, &c., and these are largely used in our translations. (vid. Mat. 5, 37—24—42, and N. T.passim.)
The affirmative particlesinaandae rawill often supply a good substitute, and will perhaps be logically correct. For the conclusion is the proposition that wein principioaffirm to be true, and having proved it, we then authoritatively pronounce it to be so. (vid. our remarks onae, &c., note, under adverbs ofaffirmation.)
Maori abounds in interjections. The following are the most common. It will be seen in this part of speech that there is a considerable variation in the different tribes.
INTERJECTIONS.
Exclamations made when it has been found that the speaker was correct, (corresponding toah,you see!yes,to be sure, &c.) Na ra nei? Arără! haka! (Waikato,) aheiha (Ngapuhi,) ae ra hoki. That expressive of gratification at some misfortune having befallen another; Kaitoa!
Besides these there are phrases which are often used as interjections; e. g.,
Maori delights in interjectional and ironical sentences, and the student who desires to be a good speaker should pay them much attention, and study also to catch the tone of voice, &c.
Some, who have not noticed them, have turned an exclamation into a question, and thus altered the meaning of the sentence. "How many pigs of John have better food than I!" we have heard thus translated, E hia ranei nga poaka a Hone he pai ke ta ratou kai i taku, &c.? The translation here obviously differs from the original. It should have been,Ano te tini, ortini noa iho, orka tae te tini, orkia tini,na, (orano)te tini, orhe tini nga poaka, &c.
And here we may observe that, in translating from another tongue into Maori, it would be perverting all use of language to render by merely a verbal correspondence, without any regard to the meaning; and that, in these idiomatic phrases, it would be best, unless we wish to establish the maxim of the French statesman,[31]"that language was merely intended toconceal our feelings," to make our author employ those corresponding expressions in Maori which he would most probably have used had he been speaking in that language.
We may observe, in conclusion, that Maori has no good form for such optative interjections aswould that, &c. There is, it is true, a kind of substitute; but it cannot be expressed by our present alphabet. It is formed by a sharp smack of the tongue against the palate, andnapronounced after it. The best form, for the present, is, perhaps,me i, with a peculiar tone of voice; e. g.,Me ikite ahau ia ia! If I had but seen him! or would that I had, &c.
[31]The Abbé Talleyrand.
[31]The Abbé Talleyrand.
Before we proceed to the consideration of the Syntax of Maori, it will be necessary 1st. to explain some terms which we shall be obliged to employ, and 2ndly, to make a few remarks on the general features of Maori sentences. Some further remarks on this subject, we shall reserve till we come to treat on the verbs.
Thesubjectof a proposition is that concerning which anything is affirmed or denied. Thepredicateis that which is so affirmed or denied of the subject. Thus, in the following sentence, Kua mate a Hone,John has died,Honeis the subject, andmateis the predicate.
Note.—We can scarcely recognize the verbal particles as copulas. We believe that their exclusive use is, to denote time.
Propositions, or sentences, we divided (page 37) intosimpleandcompound. Another division is here necessary; viz., intocomplexandincomplex. Anincomplex propositionis that whose subject and predicate are simple terms; e. g., He hoiho tenei,this is a horse.
A complex proposition is that which contains some qualifying, or otherwise modifying, term in connexion with eithersubjectorpredicate; e. g., I mate a Honeki reira.Ki reira, here, qualifies the predicatemate. He tokomaha nga Pakeha i Akarana,many are the foreigners in Auckland. Nga Pakeha i Akarana is thesubject, and tokomaha thepredicate.
He aroha no te Atua i ora ai tatou. This placed in due order, is "I ora ai tatou, he aroha no te Atua,"we having been saved was a love of God. Here,I ora ai tatouis the subject.
Ko tou utu tena mo to hanganga i te whare?Is that your payment for your having built the house?Here, we conceive,ko tou utu mo to hanganga i te whareis thesubject, andtenathepredicate.
In examining the nature of Maori propositions, the student will soon notice that they are characterized by a remarkablebrevityandabruptness, as well as by the frequent occurrence of ellipses. As a New Zealander is generally unequal to a train of consecutive thought, so also is his language inadequate to exhibit with accuracy the various processes of the civilized intellect, such as comparing, abstracting, &c., or indeed any ideas beyond the simple and monotonous details of his daily life. It is, if we may so speak, an animated sketching, intended for general effect, the more delicate lines being but faintly touched.The student has already seen that Maori is defective in particles ofillation,comparison, andcopulation. The want of a verb substantive, which is so useful as acopulain other languages, will often, where accuracy is desired, cause both clumsiness and obscurity of construction.The process by which a New Zealander constructs his sentences, is very similar to that of a child who is just beginning to speak. For example: if the latter wishes to express, "Is that a horse?" "Give me some bread," he will, most probably, say "a horse that?" "me bread." He has the ideas ofhimselfandbread, and, by pronouncing the one in immediate succession after the other, attempts to convey the idea of their mutual connexion. So also will Maori, when it wishes to express the dependence of two or more ideas on each other, place them in close connexion, as distinct existences, and leave the hearer to deduce their intended relations. From hence it may,a priori, be collected. 1st. That Maori inclines to thesubstantive form. 2ndly, That itwill have a peculiar tendency to theindicative mode of statement. 3rdly. That it delights in short sentences. 4thly. That it will often, in consequence of the frequent occurrence of ellipses, present constructions which will appearstrangeto the student of only polished languages, and even occasionally seem to defy analysis. 5thly, That the clauses of the sentence, will, like its words, be often thrown together without any connecting particles, and that we shall often notice in their construction a frequent occurrence ofepanorthosis.On some of these heads we shall have to remark hereafter. The last-mentioned feature is, however, of such importance in the investigation of some of the difficult points of Maori, that we must beg the student's leave to bring it here prominently before his notice.
In examining the nature of Maori propositions, the student will soon notice that they are characterized by a remarkablebrevityandabruptness, as well as by the frequent occurrence of ellipses. As a New Zealander is generally unequal to a train of consecutive thought, so also is his language inadequate to exhibit with accuracy the various processes of the civilized intellect, such as comparing, abstracting, &c., or indeed any ideas beyond the simple and monotonous details of his daily life. It is, if we may so speak, an animated sketching, intended for general effect, the more delicate lines being but faintly touched.
The student has already seen that Maori is defective in particles ofillation,comparison, andcopulation. The want of a verb substantive, which is so useful as acopulain other languages, will often, where accuracy is desired, cause both clumsiness and obscurity of construction.
The process by which a New Zealander constructs his sentences, is very similar to that of a child who is just beginning to speak. For example: if the latter wishes to express, "Is that a horse?" "Give me some bread," he will, most probably, say "a horse that?" "me bread." He has the ideas ofhimselfandbread, and, by pronouncing the one in immediate succession after the other, attempts to convey the idea of their mutual connexion. So also will Maori, when it wishes to express the dependence of two or more ideas on each other, place them in close connexion, as distinct existences, and leave the hearer to deduce their intended relations. From hence it may,a priori, be collected. 1st. That Maori inclines to thesubstantive form. 2ndly, That itwill have a peculiar tendency to theindicative mode of statement. 3rdly. That it delights in short sentences. 4thly. That it will often, in consequence of the frequent occurrence of ellipses, present constructions which will appearstrangeto the student of only polished languages, and even occasionally seem to defy analysis. 5thly, That the clauses of the sentence, will, like its words, be often thrown together without any connecting particles, and that we shall often notice in their construction a frequent occurrence ofepanorthosis.
On some of these heads we shall have to remark hereafter. The last-mentioned feature is, however, of such importance in the investigation of some of the difficult points of Maori, that we must beg the student's leave to bring it here prominently before his notice.
Epanorthosisis a figure of frequent occurrence in all languages, but particularly in those of the East. It is "the qualifying a former clause by the addition of another"[32]e. g., Ka tae te hohoro o ta tatou kai,te pau! what great haste our food has made; (I mean)the being consumed. Herete pau, is a clause qualifying the preceding; e rua tahi enei,he roa kau, there are two here,nothing but long; ringihia mai,kia nohinohi, pour me out some,let it be little, (i. e., pour me out a little); e rite tahi ana ia kia koe,te ahua, he is like you, (I mean,)the countenance; no reira a Ngatihau i tino mau ai,te karakia ai, that was the cause why Ngatihau were quite established, (I mean,)the not adopting Christianity. I riri au kia ia,kihai nei i whakaaro, I was angry with him, (I mean,)he did not exercise thought in that matter. Ko te tangata tenei, nana nga kakano, this is the man,his are the seeds; (i. e.,this is the person whose are, &c.) He aha tau e mea, what is yours (actively) (I mean,)are doing? i. e.,what are you doing?Haere ana Hone, me tana hoiho. Ka puta pea tena ki raro,e tihore ana. So John started and his horse. He has perhaps reached to the northward, (I mean,)ispeeling, (i. e., going along at a peeling, or rapid rate).
6thly. The student may be prepared to find the defect of the verb substantive supplied in various ways in Maori—by the article, the pronoun, the preposition, the adverb, and the verbal particles. Instances of ellipsis he will find in almost every page—ellipsis of the verb, of the noun, of the pronoun, &c., and, particularly, in our illustration of the prepositionki.
As distinctions between gender, number, case, and person, are very rare in Maori, and as, moreover, a main business of syntax consists in the adjusting of their several claims, we may hope that our work here will be neither complicated, nor extended.
[32]"Est sui ipsius quasi revocatio, qua id, quod dictum est, e vestigio corrigitur."—Glass. edit Dathe, page 1350.
[32]"Est sui ipsius quasi revocatio, qua id, quod dictum est, e vestigio corrigitur."—Glass. edit Dathe, page 1350.
1.Kois never used before appellatives without eitherte,te tahi, and its plurale tahi, or one of the possessive pronouns intervening, and it is almost always found to occupy the first place in the sentence; e. g.,
2. In this position a very common use of it is, to imply the verb substantive.
3. The articlehe, it will be seen, does not require its help for such a purpose; e. g.,herakau tenei,this is a tree;hemate toku,a sickness is mine, i. e., I am sick.
4. All the functions ofa(vid. page 13) are performed byko, when the noun, &c., to which it is prefixed, precede in the sentence; e. g.,
5. Sometimes it will be found in other parts of the sentence, (a) when the terms, of which the sentence is composed, are convertible,[33]or are intended, atleast, to be represented as similar; e. g.,kote timunga atu o koneikote pakeketanga o waho,the ebbing of the tide from here is low water outside.
(b) Sometimes, also, when there are two subjects of which the same thing is affirmed,kowill be prefixed to both; e. g.,
6. It will be seen in the above example thatkowill sometimes representand; e. g., e takoto neikote pihikote poro,it lies here, both the piece, and the end (of the bar of soap.)
7. Very frequently, also,komay be denominated "the article of specification and emphasis;" e. g.,Nokutena paraikete,that blanket is mine;kotaku paraikete tena,that is my blanket. The former of these two sentences implies that the blanket is his property; the latter denotes the same thing, with some further specification; as being, for example, one that had been previouslydescribed,worn, &c.
Again,koHone i haere,John went.
Here also, there is, we think, a difference. The latter sentence merely says that John went; the former that John, ascontradistinguishedfrom some one else, was the person who went; literally,it was John (who) went.
8. Sometimes also, in animated description,kowill follow the verb; e. g., na ka hingakoHaupokia, na ka hingakoNgapaka,then fell Haupokia, then fell Ngapaka.
9.Kowill generally be prefixed to the subject,[34]e. g.,kota te tangata kaihepoaka,heriwai,heaha,heaha,the food for man is pork, potatoes, et cætera, et cætera;koOropitewhenua taonga,Europe is the land of property.
N.B.—There are some exceptions to this rule, especially when tenei, &c., are employed. (vid. etiam rule 5.)
10.Kois always prefixed to every title or name of men or things which stands alone without the verb; e. g.,
Note.—Occasionally we meet with an exception to this rule, in emphatic, elliptical, and complementary clauses; e. g., in taunting; tou ngene,your ngene[35]; taku tirohanga,my looking, i. e.,when I looked. Ka whati tera, te pa,that was discomfitted, the pa. Vid. our illustrations ofEpanorthosisinpreliminary remarks, page 104.
11. It is sometimes used in elliptical sentences like the following: E pai ana ano;kote maeke ra,we are willing; but the cold, i. e.,we should be glad to go only for the cold; Haere ana ia,kotona ko tahi,he went by himself alone.
Note.—It may be seen in the above example that ko is sometimes used forbut; so also in the following: Me he mea ko te Paki, e rongo ratou;ko teneie kore e rongo,if it had been Paki they would have listened, butas for this, they will not listen.
12. In connexion with the two preceding rules, we may observe, that ko is almost always prefixed to the nominative absolute; e. g.,ko taua kupu au, e kore e rangona,as for that word of yours, it will not be listened to.
N.B.—In some districts the ko is omitted under this rule.
13.Ngawe have designated as the plural of thedefinitearticle page 12. The student will therefore remember that it does not recognize the rulesa,b,c,d,e, mentioned underte—pages 10 and 11.
14.The omission of the article.
There are some cases in which no article is prefixed to the noun, (a) when the noun follows immediately after the verb; e. g., Whakamate tangata,murderous; (vid. compound words page 17.) Haere po,go by night.
(b) Nouns preceded by the adverbial particlesaandtua; e. g., tataua tangata,count man by man.
(c) When a possessive pronoun is associated with the noun; ho mai toku kakahu,give me my garment.
Note.—It is, however, highly probable that the singular possessive pronouns, (vid. page 29.) are compounded of the articlete, and the plural formoku, &c., and thatoku,aku,ona, &c., are compounded ofoanda, and the personal pronounsahau,koe,ia: these pronouns assuming the forms ofoku,ou,ona, &c., when in connection witho, anda; in the same way as they adopt the form ofmona,nona, &c., when in combination with the prepositionsmo,no, &c., &c. (vid. our remarks on noku and maku page 22, andtenei, &c., page 31.) Sometimes, indeed, we find the singular possessive pronouns thus resolved; e. g., keiteneitahaoku, on this sideof me. If it had not been forneithe speaker would have saidtoku taha. Theneihowever attracts thete, and thus resolvestokuinto its component parts.
15.Hediffers in its uses fromte tahiande tahi.
(a)He, of itself, often implies the verb substantive. (Vid. rule 3).
(b)Heis very seldom found after a preposition. It is almost always found in the nominative case after the substantive verb; e. g., he tangata tenei; he kino kau koutou.
Thus it would not be correct to say, I kainga, ehekuri, it was eaten by a dog; hei tiki iherakau,to fetch a stick. It should be etekuri, ite tahirakau.
Note.—Heis sometimes found aftermaandna, e. g., nana i homaiheparaikete i mahana ai au. We believe, however, thatthis exception to rule (b) is only apparent, and thathe waka, here, is the nominative case. (Vid.Verbs.)
16.A.A strange use ofais sometimes met with in Waikato. When two nouns follow each other in apposition,ais sometimes prefixed to the latter; e. g., Ka noho atu tera i te kai manaate kahawai,he indeed will remain away from the food for him!—the kahawai!
E hoe ana ki Akarana, ki te kai manaate paraoa,he is paddling to Auckland for food for himself—flour.
Sometimes it occurs in sentences like the following, Na wai tenei haereate po?Whose going is this, (I mean,)in the night?i. e.,who ever goes by night?
(b) A personal pronoun following the verb in the nominative will very seldom takeabefore it; e. g., Whakangaromia ihoratou. It would not be correct to sayaratou.
To this rule there are a few exceptions, e. g., tu ana ratou,aia tangataaia tangata,they stood each man.
(c) Proper names are not subject to the above rule; e. g., it would not be correct to say, Whakangaromia ihoNgatipaoa. It should beaNgatipaoa.
(d) When a question is asked in reference to a preceding remark,awill precede the pronoun, e. g., E ki na koe.Awai? A koe ra,You assert—who? You, forsooth.
17. The articles, definite and indefinite, are always repeated in Maori, as in French, before every substantive in the sentence; e. g., Kotewhakaponotetake otearoha, raua kotepai,faith is the root of love, and good works.
18. Adjectives used substantively require the article; e. g.,Hetika rawatehe ki a ia,the wrong is perfectly right in his opinion.
19. Frequently, also, the article is prefixed to what would be a participle in English; e. g., Keite noho,he is at the sitting, i. e.,he is sitting; ka tatate maoa,the being cooked is near.
Note.—It is, however, probable that all such words as noho, &c., should, in constructions like the above, be regarded as substantives. We shall have to treat on this hereafter. (Vid.Verbs.)
Note 2.—Further remarks on the articles we shall reserve to the next chapter.
[33]Convertible terms, we need not remind the learned reader, are those, the meaning of which is so similar, that they may be substituted one for the other.[34]The learned student will here see that Maori has, in this respect, the advantage over Hebrew; confusion often occurring in that language from the want of some means for determining which is the subject and which the predicate.[35]Ngene is a scrofulous tumour.
[33]Convertible terms, we need not remind the learned reader, are those, the meaning of which is so similar, that they may be substituted one for the other.
[34]The learned student will here see that Maori has, in this respect, the advantage over Hebrew; confusion often occurring in that language from the want of some means for determining which is the subject and which the predicate.
[35]Ngene is a scrofulous tumour.
§ 1.—Nouns in Apposition.—These were partly considered in the last chapter, and we now proceed to offer further remarks respecting them:—
When one or more nouns follow another in apposition, and are equally definite in meaning, the same article that is prefixed to the first will be prefixed to all the rest; e. g.,Hetangata kino koe,hetangata kohuru,you are a bad man, a murderer;koau tenei,kotou matua,this is I, your father; mau maitakupu,terai roto i te whare,bring here my gun, that in the house.
The following sentences are erroneous:—Tenei ahau,koto koutou hoa, te mea nei,this is I your friend, who says, &c.; Tiakina to tatou kainga,koWaikato,take care of our settlement, Waikato; thekoshould have been omitted in the former sentence: instead of thekoin the latter, we should have hada. Proper names, and pronouns, will only take their proper articles; e. g., Nohea tenei KingiaParao?whence was this King Pharoah?
N.B.—There are exceptions to these rules. Some of them will be mentioned under the next head.
§ 2.—The preposition, which is prefixed to the first of two or more nouns in apposition, will be prefixed to all the rest; e. g.,Nakutenei pukapuka,natou hoa,naTarapipipi,this letter is mine, (i. e., was written by me,)your friend's, Tarapipipi's: kei nga Pakehatamatou whakaaro,tanga tangata Maori,with the Europeans are the sentiments of us, of the New Zealanders.
The same usage holds in the vocative case,Ehoa,EHone,Friend John.
The following examples will shew that this rule, which seems as yet to have escaped the notice of foreigners, is worthy of attention; a ka kite i a Honetetamaiti a Hemi,and he saw John, the son of James. The meaning of this, as it stands, is,the son of James saw John. Kei a koutou,ngatangata Maori,in the opinion of you the New Zealanders. This literally means,the New Zealanders are with you. In the first of these two sentences it should be,ite tamaiti, &c., in the second,keinga tangata Maori. Again; kua kainga e koutou, te kura,it was eaten by you, the school. The literal meaning of this is,the school have been eaten by you. Kua kainga e koutoukote kura,it has been eaten by you the school. As it stands, it means,it has been eaten by you and the school. Again, if we were to say, "Na Ihowa to tatou Atua, nana hoki tatou i whakaora," we should imply thatour God was made by Jehovah, and that it was he who saved us. It should be, Nato tatou Atua.There are however occasional exceptions to this rule, which it will often be useful to remember; (a) when brevity of diction is desired both preposition and article will be sometimes omitted before the second substantive; e. g., i rokohanga atu e ahau kiMangere,kaingao te Tawa,(he) was overtaken by me at Mangere, (the) settlement of Tawa; i rongo ahau ki a Koiunuunu,hungawaio Panaia,I heard it from Koiunuunu (the) father-in-law of Panaia; na te Riutoto,whaeao Paratene,it belongs to Riutoto (the) mother of Broughton. When a pause, also, is made between the two substantives, the preposition will besometimesomitted before the second; e. g., kei te kainga o te Wherowhero,terangatira o Waikato,at the Settlement of Wherowhoro, the Chief of Waikato. E pa, kua kite ahau i a koe—tomamingatanga hoki ki a au!Friend, I have found you out, your bamboozling of me forsooth.N.B.—This distinction is very similar to that which obtains in English for the regulating of the sign of the possessive case. In such sentences, for example, as the following, "for David, my servant's sake," we should always have the sign of the possessive annexed to the latter noun; because it follows the preceding one in close and unbroken succession. In the following however—"This is Paul's advice, the Christian Hero, and great Apostle of the Gentiles," the sign of the possessive is omitted; because the connexion betweenPaul and hero, is not so immediate as in the preceding example. So, also, in Maori; when the latter nounfollows in a complementary clause, as descriptive, or explanatory of the former, and has thus a pause, or comma, intervening, it mayoccasionallydispense with the preposition by which the former noun is preceded.
The following examples will shew that this rule, which seems as yet to have escaped the notice of foreigners, is worthy of attention; a ka kite i a Honetetamaiti a Hemi,and he saw John, the son of James. The meaning of this, as it stands, is,the son of James saw John. Kei a koutou,ngatangata Maori,in the opinion of you the New Zealanders. This literally means,the New Zealanders are with you. In the first of these two sentences it should be,ite tamaiti, &c., in the second,keinga tangata Maori. Again; kua kainga e koutou, te kura,it was eaten by you, the school. The literal meaning of this is,the school have been eaten by you. Kua kainga e koutoukote kura,it has been eaten by you the school. As it stands, it means,it has been eaten by you and the school. Again, if we were to say, "Na Ihowa to tatou Atua, nana hoki tatou i whakaora," we should imply thatour God was made by Jehovah, and that it was he who saved us. It should be, Nato tatou Atua.
There are however occasional exceptions to this rule, which it will often be useful to remember; (a) when brevity of diction is desired both preposition and article will be sometimes omitted before the second substantive; e. g., i rokohanga atu e ahau kiMangere,kaingao te Tawa,(he) was overtaken by me at Mangere, (the) settlement of Tawa; i rongo ahau ki a Koiunuunu,hungawaio Panaia,I heard it from Koiunuunu (the) father-in-law of Panaia; na te Riutoto,whaeao Paratene,it belongs to Riutoto (the) mother of Broughton. When a pause, also, is made between the two substantives, the preposition will besometimesomitted before the second; e. g., kei te kainga o te Wherowhero,terangatira o Waikato,at the Settlement of Wherowhoro, the Chief of Waikato. E pa, kua kite ahau i a koe—tomamingatanga hoki ki a au!Friend, I have found you out, your bamboozling of me forsooth.
N.B.—This distinction is very similar to that which obtains in English for the regulating of the sign of the possessive case. In such sentences, for example, as the following, "for David, my servant's sake," we should always have the sign of the possessive annexed to the latter noun; because it follows the preceding one in close and unbroken succession. In the following however—"This is Paul's advice, the Christian Hero, and great Apostle of the Gentiles," the sign of the possessive is omitted; because the connexion betweenPaul and hero, is not so immediate as in the preceding example. So, also, in Maori; when the latter nounfollows in a complementary clause, as descriptive, or explanatory of the former, and has thus a pause, or comma, intervening, it mayoccasionallydispense with the preposition by which the former noun is preceded.
§ 3. And we may here state, that clauses inepanorthosiswill frequently reject those rules of government which they, under other circumstances, would have recognised; and that they will often rather partake of the nature of an exclamation, (vid. chapter 14, § 10,note.) Thus in the example just adduced,to mamingatangais not in the objective case, as iskoein the clause preceding. It would appear that after the speaker had said,Kua kite ahau i a koe, he recollected himself, and exclaimed, in explanation,—to mamingatanga hoki. In a leisurely constructed sentence he would most probably have said, "Kua kite ahau i a koe, ito," &c. Again, in the first example ofepanorthosis(page 104),Ka tae te hohoro o ta tatou kai, te pau!a native would not say,o te pau, as strict grammar requires; but rather putste pauin the form of an exclamation.
§ 4. The answer to a question will always, in its construction, correspond to the question; e. g.,Nawai i tango?NaHone,Who took it? John.Ia wai taku pu?Ia Hone,With whom was my gun? with John.
§ 5. There is no form in Maori corresponding to that contained in the following expressions, "Land of Egypt," "River Euphrates." To translate these by "WhenuaoIhipa," &c., would be to represent Egypt, and Euphrates, as individuals possessing that land, and that river. To render them by apposition would we fear not much improve our Maori diction; (though it would certainly be more in accordance with Maori analogy.) Here, therefore, necessity must make a law for herself, and recognize the former mode of construction as legitimate. At the same time, it is desirable that it should be adopted as seldomas possible. Thus, in the following: "Mount Horeb," "Mount Sinai," &c., we should approve of "Mount" being rendered as a proper name, to which it closely approximates in English, and for which we think we may claim the permission of the original. We therefore approve of those phrases being rendered, "Maunga Horepa," "Maunga Oriwa," &c. Lastly; such forms as "the book of Genesis," &c., should never we think, be rendered by te pukapuka o Kenehi, &c.; for a native will, thereby, be led to believe that Genesis wrote the book. The difficulty, however, may be here easily obviated: forbookmay be altogether omitted, and "ko Kenehi" simply employed—a form, by the way, which is adopted by the Septuagint.
§ 6.The possessive case.—This case is much used in Maori. It is employed often to denote intensity; e. g., KotoNgatimaniapoto tangata nui ha ia!Oh, he is Ngatimaniapoto's great man; i. e.,he is a very great man in that tribe.
It will, also, in some instances supersede the nominative or objective of the person; e. g., the following sentence is erroneous: kihai ahau i pai kia whakakahoretia ia,I was not willing to refuse him; this as it stands, meansto despise or make a cipher of. It should have been, kia whakakahoretiatana; negativehis. (request sub.)
§ 7. It is sometimes useful for denoting the time from which an action has commenced; e. g., kahore i kai,oto matou uranga mai ano,we have not eatensincewe landed; Moe rawa atu ki Waitoke. Te haerenga atuohea?We slept at Waitoke. From what place did you start?Te taenga mai o Hone, kihai i rongo. Te tononga ihoote ata,when John came here we would not listen to him; (though) he continued to askfromthe break of day.
The possessive form is often used in predication; vid. syntax of verbs.
§ 8. Often the possessive preposition is used where, in English, a different one would be employed; e. g.,noOtahuhu tenei ara,this path (leads) to Otahuhu; kahore he waioroto,there is no water in it. Ka kainga e to matua tane te roiote tuatanga[36]ki te kainga tapu. Apopo ake ka kainga e te Ariki te roi o tana tamaiti,the fern rootof the tuatangais eaten by the father. Next day the fernof his childis eaten by the Ariki (head chief).
§ 9. A word in the possessive case occurring with another twice repeated, will generally follow after the first of such words; e. g., ki te tahi tahaona, ki te tahi taha,at either side of him; lit.at one side of him, at one side. Sometimes other words will be found to intervene between the possessive case and the word that governs it: e. g., ko nga tangatakatoa tenei oWaimate,—here are all the men of Waimate.
§ 10. The word by which a possessive case is governed, is often not expressed in Maori; e. g., ka tokowhaomatou ka mate,four of us have died; e wha nga rau o te kupenga a Hone,there were four hundred(fishessub.)of the net of John; kei hea to Hone?—where is John's?(garment sub.)
§ 11. In the northern part of this island when a noun is placed in immediate connexion with such pronouns asnoku, moku, &c., it will sometimes omit the article before it; e. g., no ratouAtuaa Ihowa,whose God is the Lord; ka meinga monawahi, appointhim a portion.
Note.—This form is rare in Waikato.
§ 12. When two substantives meet together, one of which denotes the material of which the other consists, or some quality belonging to it, the word denoting the material, quality, &c., will simply followthe other as part of a compound word; e. g., he wharepapa,aboardhouse; ikamoana,a sea fish; he repohurakeke,a flax swamp; he orangapatunga,the survivors from a slaughter; he tangatakupu rau,a man of a hundred words; i. e., a deceitful person.
§ 13. Not unfrequently, when some circumstance or quality, is attributed to a person, it will be simply affirmed to be him; e. g., Heuaua kiore koe,you are a rat's strength;he taringa whiti rua (or tua,)koe,you are anerringear; i. e.,one who does not hear correctly; he kaone tenei,this(heap of potatoes)is a gown; i. e., to purchase a gown; he aha koe?what are you?(i. e., what are you come for?) Koaura koia,I am he; i. e., he and I are of the same mind, &c.; ko taku iwituaroa tena,that is my backbone; (a form for making a thing sacred.)
Note.—This mode of predication seems to have been much in use amongst the Hebrews; vid. Gen. 41, 26. The seven good kine (are) seven years, and chap. 46, 34, "Every shepherd is an abomination;" "That rock was Christ;" "This is my body;" "Ye were once darkness," &c.
§ 14. Another particular, also, in which Maori will be found to resemble Hebrew is, the frequent substitution of the substantive for the adjective. Thus, we frequently hear,he kakakorekoe, you are weakness;he kinote rangi nei, the sky is badness, &c., neither must the student imagine as have some in the interpretation of the Scriptures, that this mode of construction is always emphatic.
§ 15. The objective case almost always follows the verb; e. g., ka ngaui a au,he will bite me; except sometimes in sentences in whichna,ma, &c. are used; e. g.,nanaahau i tiki ake,he fetched me;nokuka mate.
Note.—This form will be considered hereafter, (vid.Verbs).
Sometimes a noun, which is plural in meaning, will take the form of the singular; e. g., ko nga tamarikia Kaihau heitamaitiki a te Katipa,thechildrenof Kaihau are achildto Katipa; i. e., stand in the relation of children.
§ 16.Compound Words.—A word in connection with a compound word will often be governed by one of the simples of which the latter consists; e. g. Kai atawhaii a koe;one to take care of you;koehere is governed byatawhai; ki te whenua kai mau,to the land of food for you;mau, here is influenced bykai.
§ 17. A verb can always be changed into a personal agent by prefixingkai; e. g., tiaki ia,to guard; kai tiaki ia,a guard.
§ 18. On the prefixing and omitting of the articletetoproper names;
To lay down any exact rules respecting this subject is, we fear, impossible: neither, indeed, is it very necessary; as genuine Maori names are being fast exchanged for those of foreigners. There are, however, a few particulars which deserve notice. (a) A simple substantive, adopted as a proper name, may, or may not haveteprefixed; chiefly as caprice regulates; (b) If, however, the noun be in the plural numberteis never prefixed; e. g. Ngakainga; (c) A verb and words compounded of verbs, will generally omit it. e. g. Tangi: (d) Numerals, as far asten, will generally take it: (e) The proper names which omittewill be found perhaps to be nearly double in number those which take it.
Note.—The prefixesrangiandngatibelong chiefly, the former to the names of females, the latter to the names of tribes.
On the distinction betweenoanda;
§ 19. This very useful feature of Maori does not seem to be clearly recognized in some parts of New Zealand. It obtains, however, in the other islands of these seas, and may be satisfactorily shewn, even now to exist in those parts of this island in which it would be least expected: for example; all will admit thatnaku i patu,mine was the having struck; i. e.,I struck (him), is different fromnoku i patu;because I struck him; and thatmate aha? will signify,by what means?andmote aha?for what reason?
The words in which distinction obtains aremoandma,noandna,oanda, and their compounds,monaandmana,nonaandnana,tokuandtaku: the first and leading distinction between these two forms is (a) thatoimplies a passive meaning,aan active. Thus, he patumokuis,a striking for me, i. e., for me to suffer; he patumakuisan instrument for me to strike with, (b)oalso implies the inherency, and propriety of a quality or thing, as well as the time and moral cause of an action.
Hence it will, almost always, be prefixed to the members of the body, to land enjoyed by inheritance, to sickness, the productions of nature, such as fruits, &c., &c. Thus, we seldom hear, āku ringaringa; nāku tena oneone; he mate nāku;ois almost always employed. Again, we always hear,nokui haere mai nei,since I came here;moui tutu,because you were disobedient;nonate he,his was the error.
(c.)Ois always employed in talking of garments and houses, which are in wear, use, &c. Thus,nakutena whare means,I built that house, Noku, &c.,I dwell in it.
§ 20.Ais prefixed to theagent, and implies that the noun, which is connected with that agent, is either an act of it, or an instrument with which, or sometimes a thing upon which the action is performed, such as tools, cultivations, food,words, &c., (askupu,korero; because they are fashioned by the tongue); e. g.,takutoki;nakutena mara,makute kupu ki mua; kaimau.
§ 21. When the action is intransitive,ois generally employed; e. g. te toronga atuote ringa o Hone;toku haerenga. To this rule, however, there are many exceptions.
Note.—Visitors, slaves, or servants, children; (i. e. own children; or children of whom the individual has the management), husband, (tane), wife, (wahine), will take thea; when, however,hoa,ariki,rangatira,matua,whanaunga, are used,owill be prefixed.Reoalso will takeo; (the voice, being a part of the man). Oranga, also though it applies to food, will takeoafter it; e. g. kai hei orangamomatou,food to support us. In the following passage "nona te whiunga i mau ai to tatou rongo,"the chastisement of our peace was upon him, theoin thenonahas, we think, supplied a more concise and clear rendering than could have been attained without it.—If it had been, "Nana te whiunga, &c.," we should have understood that it was he whoinflicted, instead ofsufferedthe chastisement. It should be remembered that there are two pronunciations oftaku, andtana; viz., tăku, and tāku, tăna, and tāna; the shortacorresponds to theo; the longato theaofmaandna. Of tou,yours, there are also two pronunciations; viz.,tou, andto, the former corresponds to theoofmona; the latter sometimes to theaofmana.
Note.—Thetois very frequently used instead of thetou—chiefly in those parts of the sentence in which euphony requires that the sound should not be prolonged.
The importance of attending to these distinctions between theoand theamay be shewn by a few examples; he hangimau, isan oven with which you may cook food; he hangimou, isan oven in which you are to be cooked, and would be a most offensive curse; he tauamakuis a party with which I may attack another; he tauamoku, isa party come to attack me; te ngutuoHone, isJohn's lip; te ngutuaHone is hisword, orreport, &c.