Characte?istics of the Language of Ghagh or Accra. 259 



(1.) The present tense is accented thus : mi sumo, I love. 



(2.) The imperfect is expressed by varying the accent ; as, mi 

 sumo, I loved or did love. 



(3.) The perfect again by varying the accent ; as, mi sumo, 

 I have loved. 



(4.) The pluperfect, by the particle nah ; as, mi nah mi sumo, 

 I had loved, liter. I have I loved ; o nah 6 sumo, thou hast loved j 

 etc. Compare 7ni nah ni, I have wealth. 



(5.) The future is expressed by a periphrasis; as, md ha sumo, 

 I come to love, i. e. I am about to love. 



7. There are no voices in Ghagh. The passive is expressed 

 actively ; as, a sumo ini, some one loves me, i. e. I am loved ; a 

 keh, some one says, i. e. it is said, French, 07i dit. 



8. There are no modes in Ghagh ; 



(1.) The subjunctive or conditional is expressed by means of a 

 conjunction ; as, 7ni sumo, I love ; kedzhdzhi mi sumo, if I love. 



(2.) The potential is expressed by a periphrasis ; as, m^agnie 

 akeh mi sum,o, I am able and I love, i. e. I can love. 



(3.) The imperative of prohibition is expressed by prefixing 

 ka ; as, ka sumo, love not. The imperative of command is su- 

 mo, love thou. 



(4.) The infinitive is sumo, to love. 



(5.) The present participle is formed by adding mo ; as, sumo- 

 tno, loving. 



YII. Syntax. 



1. Concord. The only concords are those of the adjective with 

 its substantive in number, and in a compound sentence of the 

 relative with its antecedent in number ; as, gbaiotno kpakpa, a 

 good- man ; plur. ghawme kpakpa-i, good men. 



2. Governtneyit. Nothing peculiar. 



3. Collocation of Words. 



(1.) The subject of the proposition is placed first, then the 

 verb, then the object, as in English. Thus gnimg-maw hing, 

 God is good ; gnung-maw mi sumo ghawme, God loves men ; 

 gha-wme mi sumo gnung-maiv, men love God. 



(2.) The adjective is placed after the substantive which it 

 qualifies ; as, gnung-maio dzhungrong, God good, i. e. the good 

 God. So the article ; as, ghawmo leh, the man; gbawmo dzhung- 

 rong leh, the good man. 



