Vol. X, No. 11.] The Language of the Gypsies of QainaL 447 



[N.S.] 



But o often really means here a and so it is used just 

 as a in Indian languages, as a Masculine suffix. Ex. : goro, 

 gorno etc., cheti, chemuri, jewi, etc. 



The plural is formed by 6 slightly aspirated = P. nd ; the 

 other suff. — u, un, un, = P. an. Both are added to the last con- 

 sonant of the root, or to the last vowel, notwithstanding 

 hiatus: — becho or bechao = 'P. bechehd, etc. 



There are also words not requiring special suffixes for 

 plural, as goro, gera, jodo, etc. 



The declension consists only in the addition (for the Dat. 

 and Ace.) of ro, or more often — ri, T. rd. It is used also 

 pleonastically, and even euphonically after every final vowel 



(see above). 



Q. 



expressed by the addition of a, u, e, i (like the lzafat in 

 sound) ; and it is used in this Gypsy dialect as well. 



The i of status constructus (lzafat) of Persian becomes, 

 as in Qaini, here — u, e, *, in assonance with the last syllable 

 OT under the influence of final labial, etc. Often it can be 

 omitted. 



The Pronouns are the same as in Qaini or Persian, with 

 exception that ish = Fer$. an; u is seldom used. But there 

 is almost always added to them the P. particle rd — ro orn, even 

 in Nom. meri — V. men = l; teri = P. tu = thou; uri = V. u = he, 

 she, it; mori—P. md = us; sumori^P. shumd = yoa; uri and 

 iri (in Qaini u and i) = Pers. an and in, that, he, and this, he. 



The Numerals are lost and those of Persian only used. 

 Instead of P. td is used hot in the dialects of Jiruft and Sirjan, 

 and it = hdlad which means piece, head, many, etc. 



The Verbs. 



Q 



instead 



of P. id, e.g. miguyay-P. miguyid. The Imper. almost always 

 lias the form of 2 p. sing, witli i. There is also a peculiar 

 particle, added to every personal form of the verb — di. 



Personal suffixes m, d and nd are very often omitted ; 

 1'ersian particles of continuity and completeness of action— tm 

 and be, b%— usually undergo many phonetic changes: they 

 become ma, me, mi, mu and ba, be, bi, bu. So— mdidi-P. mi- 

 guyed; marae-P.mirewed: mukhure = P. mikhured, etc. These 

 particles, especially be, bi. are very often used with all forms 

 of certain verbs, and sometimes it is very difficult to dis- 

 tinguish them from the part of the root of a verb. 



A peculiar Gypsy feature is to use causal (or causative) 

 forms of the verbs, even of active ones, in the sense of simple 

 active: rforfi-wim = P. ddrim; kerduni = P. herd, etc. 



The auxiliary verb is here hana, ana, ane, etc., also aniste, 

 Negat. form— na'ane, na'ne na'ni. Past tense— bi, bu, as in 



Qaini, P. hud. 



The Composition of Words. There are peculiar suffixes, by 



