Ray & Haddon — The Languages of Torres Straits — II. 147 



Macgillivray, and to the Lifu Testament of 1873, from which the 

 Saibai version was made. 



(1.) Mood:— 



(a) Imperative. — The verbal root is sometimes used indefinitely as 

 an imperative. Ngapanagi ! behold ! look here ! 



Only one instance is found in the Gospel of the suffix -r given by 

 Macgillivray as imperative. Ngi gedo pagaear, stretch out thy hand. 



The word with the ordinary (tense) ending is used in the impera- 

 tive. Kadaitarizo, stand up ! Iman senahi ngitamunhorngaizinga, take 

 heed what ye hear ! (lit. find your hearings) ; Ngalpa meamaipa 

 wadohapa, let us go to the other side ! lagiasin, gudo mumi ! be quiet, 

 be still ! Ngi adapadan ! you come out ! Ngaeapa muliz, tell me ! The 

 plural imperative has in some cases an affix ziu, miu. Ngita Tcarenge- 

 miziu, hear ye ! ngapanagemiu, look ye ! Magina Jcozingu getowanemiu 

 ngapa ngaeapa, let little children come to me ! A dual ending moriu 

 is seen in, Ngipel uzarmoriu, go ye two ! from uzar, go. 



A prohibitive is expressed by the verbal root with the negative 

 affix. War a mabaegopa mulaigi, tell not any man ! Usually, however, 

 the word maigi (from mai, the root of mepa, mani, to do, and igi) is 

 used to prohibit an action. Maigi puru, do not steal ! Maigi akan, 

 do not fear ! Maigi harengemin, do not listen ! 



The Lifu imperative expressed by hi e, it is good that, is literally 

 translated by the Saibai hapuza, good thing. Kapuza ngita ladun, go 

 ye ! (Lifu, hi e troje nyipunie) ; Jcapuza ngi ngapa uzar, you come 

 here ! Cf. Miriam deleU (Pt. i., p. 537). ' Must ' or ' ought ' is trans- 

 lated, as in Miriam, by the noun meaning ' work,' zageto (hand thing) 

 with the possessive pronoun. Ngau zageto mieinidiz ? what must I do ? 

 Nginu zageto lehovalpa ngonanumani, thou must remember Jehovah. 



(J) Infinitive. — There is no special sign for the infinitive, one verb 

 simply following the other. Kuilcainian koima maumizin, began to 

 preach much ; ngai ngapa mangizo turan mdbaeg hahlaiginga launga, 

 I came not here to call upright men. 



(c) Desiderative. — A wish is expressed by the word uhin-mepa, to 

 make a wish, to want. Miei ngipel uhin-mepa ngai ngipelpa poihan ? 

 What do you two want me to give you? War a lago muia utiz, a uhin- 

 mepa ita durai mahaegal nuhepa imaiginga, went inside another house 

 and wanted men not to find him. 



L 2 



