10 DECLENSION OF NOUNS. [ §§ 24 — 29. 



§ 24. The Vocative usually takes the same form as the Nominative. 

 In speaking to a person of lower rank or age, the termination W[ vd or ^ d 

 is used as follows. ^■fT nend, a hoy, becomes ^ ^T^T rau nerCvd. 

 nenl, a girl, becomes i\ ^f^^ gai nenid. x^Raghu, a proper name, becomes 

 ^ rau Raghud. 



The following interjections are used with the vocative. 



(a.) With masculine inferiors, — or familiarly, ^ rau, X. re. 



(h.) With masculine equals or superiors, ^ au, ^ hau, % he. 



(c.) With feminine inferiors, — or familiarly, ^ gai. 



(d.) With feminine equals or superiors, ^ Jiai. 



Chapter III. 



pNj^UMBER. 



§ 25. The plural number of nouns in MaithlH is simply foinned by the 

 addition of a noun signifying multitude. Those most commonly used are ^ 

 sahh and ¥^f% sftia/*' meaning «ZZ, and ^^ff^r lokani* meaning people. The 

 last is only used with animate objects. sahh and ^1^1% sahali' can be used 

 indifferently either before or after the qualified noun. Thus %5TT nend 

 sahhah, ^f=rf%^ nend saVhiJc, ^ sahli nendJc, ^^1% sabaTi 

 nendk and ^^rf%^ nend lohanih are all possible forms of the genitive 

 plural of %»iT nend, a hoy. ^^rfsf lokani be it observed, can only be used 

 after the quahfied noun. In all cases, whatever be the order of the words, 

 the postposition deciding the case comes last. 



§ 26. The same rules partially apply to pronouns : but, in addition to 

 the word signifying plurality, many of them have entirely new bases for their 

 plural forms. 



§ 27. Throughout the following Paradigms, I shall generally only use 

 the word ^ to designate the plural ; but it must always be understood that 

 unless specially forbidden, sahali and ?ft^t% lokani can also be used. 



Chapter IV. 

 Peclension of J^ouns. 

 § 28. There is in Maithili reaUj^ only one declension, but as the forms 

 of some classes of nouns vary slightly from each other before some of the 

 postpositions, it vdll be convenient to consider nouns in three classes. 

 § 29. I. The first class will consist of all nouns ending in '^ri d. 



II. The second class will consist of all nouns ending in inherent ^ a, 

 when it is not pronounced. 



III. The third class will consist of all other nouns. 



The difference between these three classes will be noticed on comparison 

 of the Instrumental and Vocative singular. 



* The final / in this word is pronounced. 



