180 G. H. Damant — Notes on Manipuri Grammar. [No. 2, 



Whatever work you do is well done = Nangna touba tlialak adu pum- 

 namdle phai. 



Nouns substantive. 



These are very simple, and an example of one will serve for the whole 

 language. There is really only one gender in use, but the masculine sex 

 in animals is distinguished by the addition of laba, and the feminine by 

 the addition of amom ; thus sagol = a horse, generally sagol-laba = a 

 stallion, and sagol-amom = a mare ; and in men by the addition of nipa 

 and nupi, thus macha-nipa = a son, and macha-nupi = a daughter. 



The plural is indicated by adding sing, but for things without life 

 pumnamah is generally used, which simply means " all." 



The termination gi is used as a genitive in every sense ; da is used as 

 the dative and also as a locative, both of time and place ; thus yumda = 

 in the house ; nongmagi numitta = on a cei'tain day. The termination 

 boo is generally an accusative, but occasionally it is used as a dative, though 

 this does not appear to be considered quite correct. 



Singular Nom. 



Mi 



A man 



Gen. 



Migi 



Of a man 



Dat 



Mida 



To a man 



Ace. 



Miboo 



A man 



Abl. 



Midagi 



From a man 



Plural Nom. 



Mising 



Men 



Gen. 



Misinggi 



Of men 



Dat. 



Misingda 



To men 



Ace. 



Misingboo 



Men 



Abl. 



Misingdagi 



From men 



Adjeetives. 



No separate class of words is known in Manipuri as adjectives, but the 

 verbal forms in ba are used instead, and they can generally be conjugated 

 indifferently as verbs or adjectives, but sometimes with a slightly different 

 meaning; thus phaba mi ama = a good man, toangba u ama = a high 

 tree, while, the man is good = mi asi pliai, the tree is higb = u 

 asi wdngi. When verbals in ba are used as adjectives, an initial a is often 

 prefixed, thus apliaba or phaba, awangba or ivdngbd, are used indifferently. 

 In the feminine the final ba is changed into bi. There is no chan°-e in the 

 plural. Some adjectives are merely the negative forms of their opposites 

 thus pliattaba, bad, is merely the negative oipliaba, good. 



It is extremely probable that there may be some errors in the above, 

 although I have done my best to ensure correctness. I am very doubtful 

 especially about the difference in meaning between the three different forms 



