1840.] Grammatical construction of the Ho language. lOOo 



or accomplishment of any project. In the English idiom we should say 

 for " hobawa" it will do, or it will answer ; *'hobiena," it is all over, 

 or has succeeded ; " hobowtanna," it is going on. 



That boy will be a thief, could not be rendered " En koa do komboo 

 hobawa," but " En koa do komboo oa." 



Your business will be done to-morrow, not " Umma kajee gappa oa," 

 but, " Umma kajee gappa hobawa." 



This will never do, " Ka hobawa;" go away, it is all over " Mar- 

 senomen hobiena." 



In English and other languages, state, nature, or condition, is render- 

 ed by affixing or prefixing the various tenses of the verb " to 6e" to 

 the adjective, as to be hungry, / am hungry, I was hungry ; *' to be 

 glad, I am glad, S^c. Sfc.^' But in the Ho dialect the adjective itself be- 

 comes a neuter verb, and is conjugated by affixing to it the different 

 inflections denoting time and mood — to be hungry, " rengatea ;" / am 

 hungry, '' renga akannaing ;" / was hungry, " rengaienaing ;" &c. 



Neuter Verbs. 



After what has been said, it would be unnecessary to give any 

 example of the conjugation of neuter verbs. It only requires to be 

 remembered that their present terminal is " akanna" instead of 

 *' tanna;" and their past inflection *'iena," instead of "kidda, tadda, 

 lidda, or eea," all of which latter are transitive forms. 



Some verbs are both neutral and transitive, as "Chabatea" to finish. 

 They have therefore both inflections. In the transitive form " Chaba- 

 tea" is frequently added to the root of some other verb, to denote 

 completion ; but it may also be used alone : in the neuter form, it 

 is of course confined to the third person. 



Examples. 



Yomchabakiddai, He eat it all up. 



Bychabakidalle, We finished (making) it. 



Kajeechabymen, Finish speaking. 



Gappa miang chabawa, It will be done to-morrow or next day. 



Nado chabiena, It is now finished. 



The word " Herea" is placed between the root and terminal of a 

 verb to denote positiveness or certainty ; as when the speaker means 



