INFLEXION AND CONSTKUCTION OF WORDS. 41 



§ 178. This verb, -whicli denotes existenoe in a state or condition^ is nearly obso- 

 lete except in composition ; as, 6 y^di, he is diimb^ lit. y^ odi, is a dumb persmi. 



si 



§ 179. This verb, denoting existence in a place, is chiefly used in negative sen- 

 tences ; as, ko si owo, or ow6 k6 si, there is no money. 



2. The only instance in which 'si' is used without a negative, is in the phrase 

 o si qkaq (it is a thing), there is something the matter, said in reply to the ques- 

 tion k^ si gkaq ? (not is a thing), is not something the matter ? 



§ 180. Hi denotes a inode of existence, and is always employed in connexion 

 with such words as behe, so, thus ; bi, as ; bi , . . ti, how, &c. ; as, behe li 6 ri (so 

 it-is it is), so it is ,' -bi 6 ti ri, how is it f 



§ 181. The original of ri' is doubtful ; but it may be ri, to see, employed in the 

 sense of to appear, to seem, 



ni ov li. 



§ 182. 'Ni,' whether employed as a verb, pronoun, or preposition, usually 

 becomes ' li ' before a vowel ; as, li ori, on tlie top. But this change does not 

 generally take place before the combinations idi, igb, ih, ik, ikp, il, and in ; as, ni 

 \dize, for food ; ni igba, at the time ; ni ika, tolmve cruelty, to be cruel; ni ikpa, in 

 tlifi path ; ni ile, in the Iwuse ; ni in6, in tlve inside. 



§ 183, The substantive verb 'ni' or 'li' appears to be the demonstrative 'ni' 

 employed as a copula, in like manner with the personal pronouns of the third 

 person in the Aramaic languages. The pronominal origin of the word is shown by 

 the fact that in many cases it is equivalent to it is / as, tani ni 'i who is it ? ami ni, 

 it is I; awa li o Se e, we it is that did it. In other cases it may be rendered 

 simply by the verb to be ; a.s, tani ni babd, r^ ? toho is thy fatJier ? oba li iwo, thou 

 art a Mng. 



§ 184. 'Ni' or 'li' is frequently employed pleonastically : 



1. For the purpose of making a proposition emphatic or definite ; as, emi ni ri 

 (/ it4s see), I see ; emi li o ri (/ am that saw), I saw. (See § 185, 1.) 



2. Before nouns following verbs of naming, calling, &c. ; as, nwoq so oruko r^ li 

 Alaidzu, they called his name Alaidiu (lit. to be Alaidi;u) ; d kpt; woq li ole, 

 we called them thieves. 



3. After an objective placed emphatically at the beginning of a sentence ; 

 as, malii li d kpa (cow it-is tve hiUed), ive hilled a coto. And in like man- 

 ner after adverbs and adverbial phrases ; as, behe li 6 wi (so it-is lie said), he 

 said so. 



§ 185. When 'ni' is used pleonastically, it is frequently followed by a pei-sonal 

 pronoun of the third person singular employed relatively : 



6 



