POLYNESIAN GRAMMAR. 269 



return. Mai is the prohibitive particle, as, mai heJe oe, go them not. Mai also signi- 

 fies almost, about, near to, as, mai male au, I am nearly dead, or about to die. E is 

 the infinitive particle, but i, of the subjunctive, is used when object or purpose is intended, 

 as in the second example given above. 



In Nukuhivan, ia. is a sign of the subjunctive, as, ia oohia matou, that we be over- 

 come ; it appears to be also used for the third person of the imperative, as, ia hakaoko- 

 hia to oe hinakao, let thy will be done. A is the usual imperative particle, as, a hee ! 

 go. Ana is the prohibitive sign in the Nukuhivan cluster, as, aua oe hiti, do not come ; 

 in Tahuata, it is mot or (according to the French missionaries) umoi, as, mot ia kai oe 

 (C.), do not eat ! umoi oe e hana (G.), do not make ! The infinitive particle is e, as, e 

 mea evioite ika, a thing to spear fish. The conditional is usually left to be understood 

 from the form of the sentence, as, e piki oe mauna he vaka nei, e mate oe, if you climb 

 up this ship you will be killed ; ia, however, is sometimes used for if, as, ia maka mai 

 ia, if he sling. Lest is oi, as, oi vii, lest you fall, or, for fear of falling. Mai is used 

 for about, to, or near to, exactly as mai in Hawaiian. 



PARTICLES OF FORM. 



54. By joining certain particles to the verb, both as prefixes and 

 suffixes, the Polynesian dialects give to the original meaning of the 

 word, additional shades of signification, analogous to some of the 

 Hebrew conjugations. These derivatives we have termed Forms. 

 They are causative, desiderative, reciprocal, and potential. They 

 receive all the signs of tense and mood like the single verb. 



In Samoan, the causative form is made by prefixing /' to the verb ; as fa'aola, to 

 save, to cure, i. e. to cause to live, from ola, to live ; fa'ailo, to show, cause to know, 

 from ilo, to know. Desire is expressed byjia, prefixed, as aufia-inu, I wish to drink ; 

 fia-alu ia, he wishes to go. The reciprocal form, which also expresses the doing of any 

 thing by a number of persons in company, is made by fe prefixed, and a'i, ta'i, ya'i,Ji, 

 si, and ani suffixed to the verb ; as fe-faatau-a'i, to trade together, or with one another, 

 fe-sda-ta?i, to run together,; fe-ita-r/ai, to hate one another ; fe-oso-fi, to leap together ; 

 fe-au-si, to swim together, -fe-soasoani, to help one another. A'i and ani, when fol- 

 lowing a verb ending in a, coalesce with it, as in the last example, and in fe-misa'i, to 

 quarrel, from misa, to bear ill-will, -fe-taldi, to speak in council, from tola, to speak. 

 This same form is used to express irregular motion, back and forth, up and down, about, 

 &c., asfe-alu-a'i, to walk about, up and &ovm,fe-lafo-a?ina (passive), tost about, as 

 a vessel. 



In Tongan, faka is the causative prefix, as fakamoui, to save, from moui, to live ; 

 fakatiitii, to diminish, from tiiiii, small. The desiderative particle is fia, or, as it is 

 more commonly pronounced, fe, as man fia alu, we wish to go ; nd nau fie fanango, 

 they wished to hear. The reciprocal form (which has the same meanings as in Samoan) 

 is made by fe prefixed, and aki, faki, laki, ani, suffixed, as fe-fihi-aki, to wrestle 

 together, -fe-tio-faki, to look upon one another, -fe-ofoofdni, to greet one another, from 

 ofa, to salute ; from tau, to come upon, to reach to, &c., we hwefetaulaki, to join with 

 one another, -fakafetaulaki, to meet a person, and fe-fakafetaulaki, to meet with one 



68 



