INFLEXION AND CONSTEUCTION OF WOBDS. 17 



verbs d^(), to assemhle, and kpu, to be common, are employed ; as, k6 d^o, to collect 

 together • soro kp5, to talk together. 



3. The adverbs of place witli the idea of motion, as, loke, vj), and nisale, dow7i, 

 correspond very nearly to the English words vj)wards and downwanls ; and hence 

 to exjiress the precise idea of iij^ and clown, the Yorubas employ the verbs, dide, 

 to rise, and ^ubu, to fcdl; as, ik dide, to raise (one) v^) ; bi subu, to push (one) 

 down. 



4. Finally, to mention one more exam2:)le among many, the Yoruba adverbs 

 meaning much refer to number and quantity rather than to degree ; and hence to 

 express this last idea, the noun kpikp5, ahundance, is used ; as, fe kpikp5, to love 

 much or greatly. 



§ 67. Many Yoruba adverbs are restricted in their use to a single word, or at 

 most to a single idea ; as, fiofio, very or onucli, which is applied to nothing except the 

 idea of height; seqseq, (standing) irpright; buruburu, (hiding) closely ; biribiri, 

 intensely (dark). Ex: igi ga fiofio, the tree is very tall; A duro seqseq, ive stand 

 erect; 61e kpamo buruburu, the thief hid closely ; ile sii biribiri (the-g round is-darh 

 intensely), it is very darh. 



DEEIVATION OF PREPOSITIONS. 



§ 68. A few of the prepositions are verbs ; as, ba, toith, along tvith (prop, to 

 meet) ; fi, tvitii, hy means of (prop, to mahe) ; de, for (prop, to he ready, prepared^. 

 But most of the Yoruba prepositions are composed of a noun and one of the pri- 

 mitive pai-ticles ni, in ; si, to ; or ti, pwn ; as, nin6, in, within (from ni and iuo, the 

 inside). (See Prepositions.) 



DERIVATION OF CONJUNCTIONS. 



§ 69. A few of the conjunctions may be primitive words; but it is not difficult 

 to refer them to verbal roots ; as, bi, if ; probably from the obsolete verb bi, to he, 

 which is still retained in composition, e. g. abi, the state of existence. 



§ 70. Most of the remaining conjunctions are compound words ; as, nd^e, then 

 (from 6r), it, and dze, to he) ; nitori, hecause (from niti, in, and ori, reason). 



§ 71. The origin of others is more doul)tful. Thus, adi, notwithstanding, may 

 be derived from di, to suhtract ; oq, and, appears to be the pronoun 6q, iie ; ki, tliat, 

 is a primitive. (See Conjunctions.) 



CHAPTER II. 



INFLEXION AND CONSTRUCTION OF WORDS. 



§ 72. When words are combined together to form propositions, the relations 

 which they bear to each other are indicated partly by their position with regard 

 to each other, or collocation, partly by certain subordinate words or particles 

 employed for this purpose, and partly by changes in the form of words, called 

 inflexions. In the Yoruba language the first and sccoud of these methods are 



