1840.] Grammatical construction of the Ho language. 999 



oe tootigoikeea," Dendka shot the bird. " Eean hon do chowlee 

 seta eraadya," my son gave the dog some rice. 



Adjective. 



The adjective does not alter in termination, either in number^ 

 case, or gender ; and always precedes the noun it qualifies. As 

 *' Boogee \io^^^a good man ; " Boogee ho-a," of a good man ; *' Boogee 

 ho lo te," with a good man^ &c. There are no degrees of comparison, 

 but as in Hindustani the qualifying words very^ or most of all, 

 are prefixed to denote grades of quality, as " Etka," bad^ " End t6 

 neea o etka," this is worse than that. " Sabee re nee o etka minna," 

 this is worst of all. " Boogee leka era/' a pretty woman. " Boogee 

 leka era ko,"jore% t^jowew. 



Pronoun. 



The first personal pronoun has four numbers, the singular, dual, 

 plural, and plural comprehensive. The others only the three first, as 

 noticed in the noun-substantives. 



The possessive pronouns are the same as the personal, with the 

 genitive inflection a added. 



Personal Pronouns. 



Singular. Dual. Plural. PI, comprehensive. 



1 St. Eeng or aing, / AUeeng, we two AUe, we Aboo, we all 

 2d. Um, thou Abben, you two Appe, you „ 



3c?. Ay or ayo, he Aking, they two Ako, they „ 



In speaking, if the person include the person addressed, himself, and 

 every one present, as nominatives or agents, he uses the plural com- 

 prehensive. If he exclude the person addressed, he employs the first 

 person plural, as " Hola aboo seni^na," yesterday we went (i. e. you 

 and all of us.) " Hola alle seni^nai" yesterday we went (i. e. not you, we 

 alone.) 



The personal pronouns in the nominative case both precede and 

 terminate the verb, optionally with the speaker, as, / speak, *' Eeng 

 kajitanna" or " Eeng kaj i tan n aing" or " Kajitannaing." 



/ goy " Eeng senotana," or '' Eeng senotannaing," or " Senotan- 

 naing." 



