310 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XVITI, 
CHAPTER II. 
Nouns. 
Gender. 
Nouns have two genders : masculine and feminine, 
e.g. bamhan, diya, dhobi, gau, nau and bajar, debiya, Grati, 
naddt. 
Some nouns form the fem. regularly by adding 
terminations to the masc. . 
uns ending in consonants add either -7 (e.g. suar: sort 
< suart, bhatij: bhatijt); -in (e.g. camar: camarin,) or -ain 
(e.g. pandit: panditain, thakur: thakurdin). Those ending 
in -@ either substitute -7 for -@ (e.g. bakra: bakrt), -in for 
-@ (e g. bania : banin) or -int for -a (e.g. larika: larikini) or 
add -in to -4 (e.g. lala : lalain). 
Those ending in 7% substitute -in for -i (e.g. mali: malin). 
Those ending in -% either add -ain (e.g. guru: gurudin) or 
substitute -wni for -% (e.g. naa: nauni). 
Case. 
$1 There are two cases: direct and oblique, e.g. ghar : 
gharan, kutta : kuttan. 
§ 20. The dir. is used in the singular to denote the sub- 
ject (e g. kutia mari ga—the dog died), the vocative (e.g. ghost 
—O milkman) or the inanimate direct object (e.g. lahasi phuki 
déu—burn the corpse). In the above cases it is used without 
any postposition, but to denote all other cases of the singular 
it is employed with the various postpositions (enumerated in 
Chap. vii §§ 134-140). 
In the plural the dir. is used either as a subject (e.g. sab 
kutta mari gé—all dogs died) or as an inanimate direct object 
e.g. (sab birwa kati darau—cut all the trees down). 
I : 
other words, there is only one case as far as the singular 1S 
concerned.” It is employed as a subject optionally in ere 
where a transitive verb is in the past based on the ancient 
perfect participle (e.g. bamhanan or bamhan sab kam bigar’ 
dihin'—the Brahmans spoiled everything). Except when used 
as above, the obl. has always a postposition with it. 




1 Vide Chap. I §7 for vowel-shortening in the first syllable. 
2 But see § 4 note. 


