146 



Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



" The perfect tense (setting aside some inexplicable irregularities) 

 exliibits a great variety of terminations, for the formation of which 

 no rule can yet he given : these are cw, ana, ani ; in, ina, eina ; em, 

 etna ; eima, eiun ; and tm. 



" The future tense alone is perfectly regular ; it is simply formed 

 by adding hai to the present. 



" The present tense of the imperative mood in those verbs having 

 the present of the indicative ending in ipa, terminates (with one ex- 

 ception in ^) in ir : in the others the terminations of this tense are ur 

 (the most frequent) ; ar (the next in order of frequency), ara, ari ; 

 ada, eada ; e, eio, eir, erur ; and o. 



"After all I am inclined to suppose that the Kowrarega verb, 

 although apparently complicated, is of simple construction ; and that 

 its various modifications are caused by the mere addition to its root of 

 various particles, the exact meaning of which (with one exception) is 

 yet unknown. That exception is the particle aige or ge, the mode of 

 employment of which is shown by the following examples : — 



Wawp^ yinu ngai purteip purteipaige = I am not eating your fish. 

 ,, ,, ,, purteitmaige = I did not eat your fish. 



,, ,, ,, purteipakaige = I shall not eat your fish. 



,, „ ,, nanu ngi purtaige = Don't eat his fish. 



"A few examples may be given in illustration of the preceding 

 remarks : — 



English. 



Present. 



Past. 



Future. 



Imperative. 



Eat, 



purteipa. 



purteiun, 



purteipakai, 



purtar. 



Bite, 



mapeipa, 



mapana, 



mapeipakai, 



mapur. 



Take away, . 



tneipa, 



mani. 



meipakai. 



mari. 



Tell, 



muUpa, 



mulem. 



mulepakai, 



muleada. 



Lie down. 



yimeipa, 



yunnm. 



yuneipakai, 



yunur. 



Leave behind, 



yuneipa, 



yunem, 



ynneipakai, 



yunur. 



Shoot, 



uteipa, 



uttm, 



uteipakai, 



utur. 



Enter, 



titeipa, 



utema, 



uteipakai. 



uterur.^' 



"We now proceed to discuss the expression of moods and tenses as 

 found in the Gospel, reference being made to the foregoing notice by 



