Indian Antiquary Vol 32

SR No.: 032524
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 550
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

Page 111

MARCH, 1903.) GRAMMAR AND SPECIMENS OF THE MIKIR LANGUAGE.
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The Ablative is formed with -pèn (āpen) or pènsi : hëlõving-do-ak-pèn, from afar off ; non-pèn, from now; dak-pèn, from here. Aperä (Assamese parā) is also used.
The Locative is formed with oi : hèm-si, in the house; adėt-si, in the country. We also have arlo, in, inside, ander. Le (properly the conjunctive participle of lē, to arrive) is often used as a locative postposition, for at, in, Other common postpositions are,
athak, apon, on. angsong, above, upon, over. arum, below. aber, below. atong, together with lòng = place). adung, adun, beside, close to. adak, between ang-bòng, in the middle of.
aphi, after. ADJECTIVES are regularly formed by prefixing ke-, kä-, or ki- to the root, and do not change for gender, number, or case. Thus, mē, being good; kemē, good : halo, distance; kähēlo, far off : dòk, savour ; kedòk, savoury : ho, bitterness; keho, bitter : lòk, whiteness; kelok, wbite : ri, wealth; kiri, rich. The form of the adjective is precisely the same as that of (1) the present participle of the verbal root used to form the present tense, and (2) the abstract or infinitive of that root, and the collocation of the sentence alone determines the meaning of the word used. When particles of comparison or other modifying elements are added to the adjective, the prefix (ke, etc.) is often omitted as unnecessary. Thus, -
leelòk, white; lòk-hik, wbitish. kemē, good ; mē-mů, better; menē, best.
keding, tall; ding-mu, taller,
but kàngtui, high ; kàngtui-mu, higher; kangtui-ns, highest. The emphatic suffix si sometimes gives the force of the superlative, as in Arràm akethe-si, God the Most High; kemo-si apē, the best garment.
Adjectives sometimes precede, but more commonly follow, the noun qualified (see below as to the relative clause): as already observed, they are usually constructed with the relative prefix a- when joined to a noun.
Numerals. The Cardinals are ist, one ; hint, two; kethom, three ; philt, four; phòngo, five ; theròk, six; theròksi, seven ; nerkep, eight; sirkép, nine; kép, ten; for the tens from 11 to 19 krē takes the place of kep, the unit being added : krē-ist, eleven; krē-hint, twelve, etc. The word for seven is evidently six + one, while those for eight and nine appear to be ten minus two and ten minus one. A score is ingkoi ; thirty thòm-kép, and so on, but the higher numbers appear to be little used. A hundred is pharo. The numeral follows the noun. In composition hini (except with bang, person) is reduced to ni, and kethòm to -thom, As jö-ni jö-thom, two or three nights, Phili and theròk are often contracted to phli and thròk.
Generic Prefixes are commonly used with numbers, as in many other Tibeto-Burman languages: -
with persons, bang, as a-ong-mär kòrtë bang-theròk-kë, his uncles, the six brothers, with animals, jòn (Assamese loan-word), as në kethek-long chelòng jon-phili, I saw (got to
see) four buffaloes ; with trees and things standing up, ròng, as thèngpi ròng-theròk, six trees. with houses, kum, as hem hum-phongo, five houses,