703 Word implying ngapaf 

 motion 



* After tabulating 100 Kowrarega verbs in all the different forms in which 

 they had occurred to me, I yet failed in arriving at a knowledge of their 

 mode of formation, owing to the deficiency of data on one hand, and the pre- 

 sence of some apparently defective and irregular verbs on the other. Still 

 some of the results are worth recording. Leaving out the consideration of the 

 irregular verbs, I can speak with certainty of only two Moods, the Indicative 

 and the Subjunctive, of the Present and the Past (probably really further di- 

 visible) Tenses of the former, and the Present of the latter. As an example I 

 may give the verb " to strike," of which the root is assumed to be " matum 

 =a stroke." 



Indicative Present nudu ngatu matumeipa=I am striking him. 

 ,, Perfect ,, ,, matumina^I struck him. 



,, Future ,, ,, matumeipakai:=I shall strike him. 



Imperative Present ,, ngidu matumur=strike him. 



Assuming a root to each, I find 94 of the verbs under examination to agree 

 in having the present tense of the indicative terminating in pa : of these 70 

 end in aipa, 14 in ipa, 6 in epa, and 1 in aipa. 



The perfect tense (setting aside some inexplicable irregularities) exhibits a 

 great variety of terminations for the formation of which no rule can yet be 

 given : these are an, ana, ani ; in, ina, ima ; em, ema ; eima, eiun ; and un. 

 The future tense alone is perfectly regular ; it is simply formed by adding 

 kai to the present. 



The present tense of the imperative mood in those verbs having the present 

 of the indicative ending in ipa terminates (with one exception in i,) in ir : in 



t This is a word which from the variety of its modes of application long 

 puzzled me. Careful examination of sentences in which it occurred led to 

 the following results. 1 st. It may be used as an independent word to denote 

 motion towards the speaker, the pronoun which would otherwise be required 

 being omitted. Ex. — " adur=go out," but "ngap' adur=come out (towards 

 the speaker)," " lak' ngapa=to come again, to return." 2nd. It is also used 

 as a postfix to denote motion towards the object to which it is joined. Ex. — 

 <' laga' p'(ngapa) aiyewel=come to the hut," " mue' pa teir^throw it into 

 the fire." 3rd. It is used in a third sense. Ex. — " wawpi 'pa=to go fish- 

 ing," " kaba 'pa=to go to a dance." 4th. It is often used as an equivalent 

 to " give me," the hand being held out at the same time. Ex. — "ngapa=let 

 it come to me." 



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