(a) Demonstrative:
Singular, _na, si; ta, te, ke; maae; fe_.
Plural, _gi; mwai, ote_.
(b) Personal: _a, ni_.
_Na_ denotes a, any, the, and is put to more general use than the
corresponding _nga_ in Sa'a; _na_ is used with both singular and
plural: _na noni_ the body; _na sasigamu_ your brethren. The
conjunction _ma_ (=and) coalesces with _na_; _mana Mwela_ and the
Son. _Na_ is used with the interrogative _taa_ what.
2. _Si_ is more definite and particular in meaning than _na_ and
denotes a part, a piece, any; it is more or less equivalent to
_me'i_ in Sa'a: _si doo ne_ the thing; _gamelu ka ania si taa_ what
are we to eat? _si ere_ a firestick; _si doo gu saea na_ that which
I said; _na_ may be prefixed: _na si baea taa ne_ what words? _si_
can not be used of the plural.
3. _Ta_ means a certain one, every, at all, just, only, and is the
same as the numeral _ta_ one: _ta_ may precede the article _fe_; _ta
fe uo_ every hill, _ni_ may follow _ta_: _tani aiai_ some, other.
_ta_ may mean only: _ta ro ai_ only two people; _ta_ may be used
with the numerals, _ta ro mwane_ two men; _ta ro tangale penny_ 200
pence.
_Te_ has practically the same meanings as _ta_: _te geni sarii_ a
maiden; _te taifilia_ he alone; _te aiai falaete_ one person only.
_Te_ is used of units (as _ata_ in Sa'a), _te fiu fe doo_ only seven
things; _te ai ma te ai_ one by one; _too te ai_ singly. _Si_ may
follow both _ta_ and _te_: _ta si fou_ a certain rock, _te si na
doo_ everything; _te_ may be used as equivalent to the conjunction
and: _te na Mwela_ and the Son.
_Ke_ is used as _te_: _ke si gula iidimani_ a small piece; _ro kesi
kurui bata_ two small pieces of money. _Ke_ and _si_ may be combined
and used with _te_: _e langi asia na teke si doo_ there is nothing
at all.
4. _Maae_ is compounded of _maa_ eye, one, and _e_ the construct
form, and means one, a; _maae_ is used with _fera_ country, _dangi_
day, _rodo_ night, _oru_ wind; _maae fera_ a village, _maaedangi_ a
day, _maaerodo_ darkness.
5. _Qe_ is used with certain nouns: _qe afe_ a widow, _qe ia_ a
fish, _qe oru_ a widow; _na_ may be prefixed: _na qe ia gi_ the
fishes.
6. _Fe_ is used of things spherical in shape and denotes a unit: _fe
bread_ a loaf, _fe bubulu_ a star; also _fe gale bola_ a young
pigeon, _fe rade_ a reed; _fe_ is used of one of a series: _fe rodo_
a night, _fe asua_ a day; _fe_ is also used as a multiplicative: _fe
fiu ade doo taala_ seven cases of wrong-doing; _na or ta or te_ may
precede.
7. _Gi_ denotes plurality and follows the noun: _na mwane gi_ the
males. It may be separated from the noun: _na doo nia gi_ his
things; _gi_ is used with the forms of the personal pronoun plural
except those ending in _lu_.
8. _Mwai_ is used with nouns of relationship only: _mwai asi nia_
his brethren, _ro mwai sasina_ brethren.
9. In Port Adam _ote_ seems to be employed as a regular plural
article: _ote mwane gi_ you men. But it is a question whether _ote_
is not properly employed of females only: _ote aia nia_ his female
relations, _ote sasina_ his sisters, _ote ai_ you women, _ote ai gi_
you women.
10. _A_ is used as a personal article with the names of males, both
native and foreign: _a Leo_, _a Joe_. It is used also with _doo_
thing: _a doo_ so and so, _a doo na_ the person.
_Ni_ is used as a personal article with the names of females, both
native and foreign: _ni Alida_, _ni Mary_. It is used also with
certain nouns which denote women, where in Sa'a _nga_ or the
personal article _a_ is used: _ni te nau_ my mother, _ni mwaemwane_
a man's sister, a woman's brother, _ni aia_ female relations, _ni
doo_ the woman, _ni mwela ne_ that woman. _Ni_ is not used with
_afe_ wife, nor with _geni_ female; it is not used with the plural.