OF THE PARTICLES.
We have thought it better to devote a separate chapter to the
consideration of the following particles of Maori; first, because
those words, though they strongly partake of the nature of adverbs,
are yet sometimes used as conjunctions; secondly, because we are of
opinion that a distinct consideration of them will be the best way to
impart clear and comprehensive views of their nature.
An accurate acquaintance with these _epea pteroenta_ "winged words"
of discourse, is in most languages of very difficult attainment: but
in Maori, particularly, do they require our study; that language not
conceding to the verb the same prominent place that it occupies in
other languages, and rather, (as we have already observed,)
transacting the business of predication by pronouns, particles, &c.
They are mainly used for embellishing, defining, and impressing a
sentence, and may, with the prepositions, be justly denominated the
hinges of Maori.
To enumerate them all would be an endless task, and perhaps a useless
one: for, in no part of Maori is there so great a discrepancy in the
various districts. The following, we think, are the most general in
use, and most deserving of notice: atu, mai, ake, iho, ai, ano, ra,
koa, u, hoki, kau.
_Atu_ and _mai_ are, in most respects, exactly opposite; _atu_
indicates an _emanation forth_ of action from--the latter an
_approach_ or _direction_ towards--the speaker.
E kore ahau e rongo _atu_, | E kore e rongo _mai_, _will
_I do not hear_ forth. | not hear towards (me or us)_.
| E rangona _mai_ ranei tatou?
| _shall we be heard towards (us)?_
Tu _atu_, _stand out of my | Kati _mai_ i kona, _stand
way_. | towards me there_.
Tikina _atu_, _go there and | Tikina _mai_, _fetch hence_.
bring here_, i. e., _fetch |
thence_. |
E tatari _atu_ ana matou ki |
a koe, _we are waiting |
forth to you_. |
E kore ahau e kaha _atu_, | Mau _mai_ ano, _for you truly
_I shall not be strong | hither_, i. e., _it is for you
forth_, i. e., _shall not | to strike the first blow_, &c.
be able to take it there_. |
N.B.--_Atu_ will sometimes lose its peculiar meaning after a verb,
(vid. verbs, S.) It will also occasionally stand for _other_: Tera
atu ano, _that is another_; i. e., there are other besides.
_Ake_ and _Iho_. The general uses of _ake_ and _iho_ are, of the
former _up_, and of the latter _down_, to the speaker:
Haere _ake_, _come up (to us)_.
Heke _iho_, _come down (to us)_.
E tu _iho_, _he stands up there_, i. e., _down towards (us)_.
Te mea e ngangautia _ake_, _the thing about which there is that
contention below_, (lit. is contended _up towards_ (us)).
Sometimes they will stand, the one for _up_, the other for _down_, to
the object of the action; e. g.,
E kore ahau e roa _ake_, _I am not tall enough to reach up (to it)_.
Ho _ake_ ki a ia, _give it up to him_.
Pataia _iho_ te mate, _ask down (to him) his sickness_.
_Ake_ and _iho_ will sometimes denote _propriety_, _peculiarity_,
_self-existence_, &c.; e. g.,
Maku _ake_ ano, _for myself alone_.
Mona _iho_ ano tena, _that is for himself alone_.
E hara i te toka tu _ake_, _not a rock that has stood of itself_.
_Ake_ will sometimes signify _the other side_ of the speaker, whether
it be _before_, _behind_, _to one side of_, _above_, _below_, &c.; e. g.,
_haere ake_ to a hearer in front will mean come _behind me_: to a
person behind, it will signify come _to my front_.
N.B.--_Iho_ does not seem to have any corresponding opposite to this
meaning of _ake_.
Sometimes, also, _ake_ is employed to designate a motion by another
towards some place with which the speaker is in connexion; e. g.,
Ka mea, ka haere _ake_ ki Waitemata, _follow me by and bye to
Waitemata_.
He aha te tikina _ake_ ai he ti ma te turoro nei? _why has not tea
been fetched (from my residence) for this patient?_
E puta mai, ka karanga _ake_ ki a au, _when he comes you will call
to me, (who am now going away)_.
Under these two last rules should, perhaps, be mentioned the following
examples:
Tangohia _ake_ te ngarara i taku tuara, _take the insect off my
back_.
Ma koutou e urunga _ake_, _do you of the bow of the canoe steer_,
i. e., _so paddle that the stern, where I am, may be directed
rightly_.
NOTE 1.--There are other subordinate meanings of _ake_ and _iho_, of
which examples have been given under the adverbs, and which do not,
we think, require any further notice.
NOTE 2.--_Ake_ and _iho_ are often used after verbs, in a manner
somewhat corresponding to that of the verbal particles. (vid.
verbs. S.)
_Ai_ is a particle of great use. It is chiefly employed as a
substitute for the relatives _who_, _which_, _what_, and has reference
to the _time_, _place_, _manner_, _cause_, _means_, _intention_, &c.,
of an action; as in the following examples:
No te ra horoi whare i haere mai _ai_, _started for here on
Saturday_.
I tona kitenga _ai_, _when it was seen_.
Te whare i moe _ai_ ia, _the house in which he slept_.
Te peheatanga i meatia _ai_, _the way in which it was done_.
Te take i patua _ai_, _the cause for which he was beaten_.
Ma te aha e ora _ai_? _by what means be saved?_
I tuhituhi _ai_ au nau hoki i utu i ena riwai, _I have written to
you because you paid for the other potatoes_.
Occasionally, however, it is heard as a simple expletive; e. g.,
I mua _ai_, _formerly_.
2ndly. It is employed with the verbs to denote a _sequence_ and,
occasionally, an _opposition_ of action, and might be translated by
"_and then_," "_to_," and sometimes "_but_."
Haere, ka hoki mai _ai_, _go, and then return_.
Haere ki reira noho _ai_, _go there to stop_.
Kua hereherea, noho _ai_, kawea atu ana ki a te Paki, _she was
enslaved, and remained such_ for some time, _then was carried to
Paki_.
Ko te pa ano tera; noho _ai_ ia ki Horotiu, _that indeed is his
village; but he dwells at Horotiu_.
Sometimes, especially at Taupo, and, we understand, at the East Cape,
_ai_ is often used where the _sequence_ or _opposition_ of action is
but faintly, if at all, expressed. The following is correct in
Waikato: E pa, kei hea tetahi wahi mo matou? kokoa kotoatia _ai_ e koe
te whenua nei, _friend where is there a portion for us? why you have
monopolized the whole of the land_.
NOTE 1.--The place of _ai_ may be often supplied by _nei_, _na_, or
_ra_; e. g., koia ahau i haere mai _nei_.
NOTE 2.--_Ai_ is often erroneously omitted and erroneously introduced
by foreigners, and those who wish to propound a statement accurately
will do well to observe its use.
For _ai_, as used in connexion with the verbal particles, and the
verbs. (See Syntax.)
_Ano._ This is a particle much used in assertions and replies. Its
meaning will vary with that of the word to which it is postfixed.
_Indeed_; Tenei _ano_ nga tangata o toku kainga te mahi nei i te
kino, Here _truly_ are the people, &c.
Ko ia _ano_ te tikanga o te aroha, _id_ demum _est firma amicitia_.
Naku _ano_ taku, _mine is my own_.
Kati _ano_, _stop I say, (or beg of you)_.
_Also_; No Waikato ahau, no Rotorua _ano_, _I am from Waikato, from
Rotorua also_.
_Only_; Kotahi _ano_ taku, _one only is mine_. (_Anake_ would not
here be used.)
_Immediately_, akuanei _nei ano_, now _instantly_.
_Same_; Ko nga kau _ano_ nga kau, _they are the very same cows_.
_Different_; He tangata _ano_ tena, _that belongs to another person_.
_Again_ or _another_; Tikina _ano_, _fetch another_.
_Same as_; _Ano_ e moe ana, _as if he were sleeping_.
_Self_; Mana _ano_, _for himself_.
I whakaae mai ranei? I whakaae _ano_. Was he willing? He was willing.
It is used in combination with other particles, as follows:
Heoi _ano_, _that is all_.
_Ano_ hoki, _also_.
Ra _ano_, _until_.
Nei _ano_, _this is it, or here it is_, &c.
Koia _ano_! _how (fine, &c.)!_
A, e noho nei _ano_? _and is he still here?_
_Ano ra_, whakarongo mai, _(yes, or no;) but listen to me_; i. e.,
_I do not deny what you say; only listen to me_.
Ko tena _ano_ ra, _that one I say, or that also_.
_Ano_, in the beginning of sentences, seems with Ngapuhi to admit of a
wider application than what is generally heard in Waikato; e. g.,
_Ano_ ka tae ki te whare, _and when he came to the house_.
N.B.--_No_, also, with the same people, seems to admit of a somewhat
similar application.
_Ra_ is a particle corresponding in its use with _nei_ and _ra_, and
is frequently used to supply the place of the relative _which_; e. g.,
I kite _ra_ koe, _which you saw_.
_There_; e takoto mai _ra_, _it lies there_.
It is sometimes used in commands and energetic sentences, for _Then_.
Haere _ra_, _go then_.
Heoi ano _ra_, _that is all about it then_.
Often in replies; E pai ana? Ae _ra_.
_Koa_ is a particle used mostly in correcting, &c., another speaker or
oneself:
E pa, e he ana _koa_ koe, _O my friend you are wrong_.
Aana _koa_, _yes (you are right)_.
It is difficult to define its meaning in the following phrases:
Tena }
& } _koa_, _shew it here_, or _give it to me_.
Na }
E hara _koa_ (iana or ianei or iara) ra? _what else?_
E ngaro hoki _koa_ iana, &c., _that, I confess, is_ (_right, wrong_,
&c.)
Ra _koa_ ka kai iho ia i te ata o tana kai, _(even though the
offering be devoured,) still (does the God) eat the shadow of the
food;--yet, nevertheless_.
_U_ is often used as a mere expletive. Sometimes it has force in
exculpatory sentences; e. g.,
E taea te aha _u_ ana i te mamae? _how could the poor fellow help it
from the pain_?
NOTE.--Though often used as an expletive, _u_ will not, however,
admit of being thrust into every sentence. Some foreigners seem
peculiarly fond of using it. The following use of it is, at least in
Waikato, erroneous: "A he tangata nui hoki a Hone, he rangatira hoki
_u_ a ratou." We are unable, we confess, to state the meaning of this
last clause. The speaker, perhaps, intended the preposition _no_ by
_u a_, "a chief of their party."
_Hoki_; Some of the uses of _hoki_ have been inserted under the
adverbs. We shall give a brief view of the principal of them here. Its
more general uses are, _also_, _for_, _because_:
_He mea hoki_ ka tae mai ahau, _in consideration of my having come_.
Koia _hoki_, _yes truly (he is right)_, &c.
Ina _hoki_, (the same as _mei_ of Waikato,) viz., _as you may judge
from_.
Kahore ano i tae mai, _ina hoki_ te pu, te rangona, _he has not
arrived, as we may judge from the gun, its not being heard_.
_Nei hoki_, and _na_, or _ra_, hoki; Hopukia te poaka; Kua mau _ra_
hoki, _oh, it has been caught_.
Kati te tohe, kua riro atu _nei hoki_ te utu, _cease importuning;
inasmuch as the payment has been given_.
This form we approve much of for expressing the following: "for the
death of the Lord Jesus Christ," kua mate _nei hoki_, &c., i. e.,
_inasmuch as_, &c.
Ki te titaha _hoki ra_, _well then, (if you won't give that,)
give me an axe_.
Ho mai _hoki_, _give it I say_.
_Kau_; Riri _kau_, _angry without cause_.
E ngenge ana koe? Ngenge _kau_! _Are you tired? Why should I be
tired?_ (lit. tired _at nothing_!)
E mau _kau_ ana te taura, _is_ barely _fastened_, i. e., _it has
only the name of being fastened_.
Ka mahi _kau_ ahau, _work_ without nothing.
Tu _kau_, _stand_ idle, naked, &c.