SYNTAX OF THE NOUN.
§ 1.--_Nouns in Apposition._--These were partly considered in the last
chapter, and we now proceed to offer further remarks respecting them:--
When one or more nouns follow another in apposition, and are equally
definite in meaning, the same article that is prefixed to the first
will be prefixed to all the rest; e. g., _He_ tangata kino koe, _he_
tangata kohuru, _you are a bad man, a murderer_; _ko_ au tenei, _ko_
tou matua, _this is I, your father_; mau mai _taku_ pu, _tera_ i roto
i te whare, _bring here my gun, that in the house_.
The following sentences are erroneous:--Tenei ahau, _ko_ to koutou
hoa, te mea nei, _this is I your friend, who says_, &c.; Tiakina to
tatou kainga, _ko_ Waikato, _take care of our settlement, Waikato_;
the _ko_ should have been omitted in the former sentence: instead of
the _ko_ in the latter, we should have had _a_. Proper names, and
pronouns, will only take their proper articles; e. g., Nohea tenei
Kingi _a_ Parao? _whence was this King Pharoah?_
N.B.--There are exceptions to these rules. Some of them will be
mentioned under the next head.
§ 2.--The preposition, which is prefixed to the first of two or more
nouns in apposition, will be prefixed to all the rest; e. g., _Naku_
tenei pukapuka, _na_ tou hoa, _na_ Tarapipipi, _this letter is mine_,
(i. e., was written by me,) _your friend's, Tarapipipi's_: kei nga
Pakeha _ta_ matou whakaaro, _ta_ nga tangata Maori, _with the
Europeans are the sentiments of us, of the New Zealanders_.
The same usage holds in the vocative case, _E_ hoa, _E_ Hone, _Friend
John_.
The following examples will shew that this rule, which seems as yet
to have escaped the notice of foreigners, is worthy of attention; a
ka kite i a Hone _te_ tamaiti a Hemi, _and he saw John, the son of
James_. The meaning of this, as it stands, is, _the son of James saw
John_. Kei a koutou, _nga_ tangata Maori, _in the opinion of you the
New Zealanders_. This literally means, _the New Zealanders are with
you_. In the first of these two sentences it should be, _i_ te
tamaiti, &c., in the second, _kei_ nga tangata Maori. Again; kua
kainga e koutou, te kura, _it was eaten by you, the school_. The
literal meaning of this is, _the school have been eaten by you_. Kua
kainga e koutou _ko_ te kura, _it has been eaten by you the school_.
As it stands, it means, _it has been eaten by you and the school_.
Again, if we were to say, "Na Ihowa to tatou Atua, nana hoki tatou i
whakaora," we should imply that _our God was made by Jehovah, and
that it was he who saved us_. It should be, Na _to tatou Atua_.
There are however occasional exceptions to this rule, which it will
often be useful to remember; (_a_) when brevity of diction is desired
both preposition and article will be sometimes omitted before the
second substantive; e. g., i rokohanga atu e ahau ki _Mangere_,
_kainga_ o te Tawa, _(he) was overtaken by me at Mangere, (the)
settlement of Tawa_; i rongo ahau ki a Koiunuunu, _hungawai_ o
Panaia, _I heard it from Koiunuunu (the) father-in-law of Panaia_; na
te Riutoto, _whaea_ o Paratene, _it belongs to Riutoto (the) mother
of Broughton_. When a pause, also, is made between the two
substantives, the preposition will be _sometimes_ omitted before the
second; e. g., kei te kainga o te Wherowhero, _te_ rangatira o
Waikato, _at the Settlement of Wherowhoro, the Chief of Waikato_. E
pa, kua kite ahau i a koe--_to_ mamingatanga hoki ki a au! _Friend, I
have found you out, your bamboozling of me forsooth._
N.B.--This distinction is very similar to that which obtains in
English for the regulating of the sign of the possessive case. In such
sentences, for example, as the following, "for David, my servant's
sake," we should always have the sign of the possessive annexed to the
latter noun; because it follows the preceding one in close and
unbroken succession. In the following however--"This is Paul's advice,
the Christian Hero, and great Apostle of the Gentiles," the sign of
the possessive is omitted; because the connexion between _Paul and
hero_, is not so immediate as in the preceding example. So, also, in
Maori; when the latter noun follows in a complementary clause, as
descriptive, or explanatory of the former, and has thus a pause, or
comma, intervening, it may _occasionally_ dispense with the
preposition by which the former noun is preceded.
§ 3. And we may here state, that clauses in _epanorthosis_ will
frequently reject those rules of government which they, under other
circumstances, would have recognised; and that they will often rather
partake of the nature of an exclamation, (vid. chapter 14, § 10,
_note_.) Thus in the example just adduced, _to mamingatanga_ is not in
the objective case, as is _koe_ in the clause preceding. It would
appear that after the speaker had said, _Kua kite ahau i a koe_, he
recollected himself, and exclaimed, in explanation,--_to mamingatanga
hoki_. In a leisurely constructed sentence he would most probably have
said, "_Kua kite ahau i a koe_, i _to_," &c. Again, in the first
example of _epanorthosis_ (page 104), _Ka tae te hohoro o ta tatou
kai, te pau!_ a native would not say, _o te pau_, as strict grammar
requires; but rather puts _te pau_ in the form of an exclamation.
§ 4. The answer to a question will always, in its construction,
correspond to the question; e. g., _Na_ wai i tango? _Na_ Hone, _Who
took it? John_. _I_ a wai taku pu? _I_ a Hone, _With whom was my gun?
with John_.
§ 5. There is no form in Maori corresponding to that contained in the
following expressions, "Land of Egypt," "River Euphrates." To
translate these by "Whenua _o_ Ihipa," &c., would be to represent
Egypt, and Euphrates, as individuals possessing that land, and that
river. To render them by apposition would we fear not much improve our
Maori diction; (though it would certainly be more in accordance with
Maori analogy.) Here, therefore, necessity must make a law for
herself, and recognize the former mode of construction as legitimate.
At the same time, it is desirable that it should be adopted as seldom
as possible. Thus, in the following: "Mount Horeb," "Mount Sinai,"
&c., we should approve of "Mount" being rendered as a proper name, to
which it closely approximates in English, and for which we think we
may claim the permission of the original. We therefore approve of
those phrases being rendered, "Maunga Horepa," "Maunga Oriwa," &c.
Lastly; such forms as "the book of Genesis," &c., should never we
think, be rendered by te pukapuka o Kenehi, &c.; for a native will,
thereby, be led to believe that Genesis wrote the book. The
difficulty, however, may be here easily obviated: for _book_ may be
altogether omitted, and "ko Kenehi" simply employed--a form, by the
way, which is adopted by the Septuagint.
§ 6. _The possessive case._--This case is much used in Maori. It is
employed often to denote intensity; e. g., Ko _to_ Ngatimaniapoto
tangata nui ha ia! _Oh, he is Ngatimaniapoto's great man_; i. e., _he
is a very great man in that tribe_.
It will, also, in some instances supersede the nominative or objective
of the person; e. g., the following sentence is erroneous: kihai ahau
i pai kia whakakahoretia ia, _I was not willing to refuse him_; this
as it stands, means _to despise or make a cipher of_. It should have
been, kia whakakahoretia _tana_; negative _his_. (request sub.)
§ 7. It is sometimes useful for denoting the time from which an action
has commenced; e. g., kahore i kai, _o_ to matou uranga mai ano, _we
have not eaten_ since _we landed_; Moe rawa atu ki Waitoke. Te
haerenga atu _o_ hea? _We slept at Waitoke. From what place did you
start?_ Te taenga mai o Hone, kihai i rongo. Te tononga iho _o_ te
ata, _when John came here we would not listen to him; (though) he
continued to ask_ from _the break of day_.
_The possessive form is often used in predication; vid. syntax of
verbs._
§ 8. Often the possessive preposition is used where, in English, a
different one would be employed; e. g., _no_ Otahuhu tenei ara, _this
path (leads) to Otahuhu_; kahore he wai _o_ roto, _there is no water
in it_. Ka kainga e to matua tane te roi _o_ te tuatanga[36] ki te
kainga tapu. Apopo ake ka kainga e te Ariki te roi o tana tamaiti,
_the fern root_ OF THE TUATANGA _is eaten by the father. Next day the
fern_ OF HIS CHILD _is eaten by the Ariki (head chief)_.
§ 9. A word in the possessive case occurring with another twice
repeated, will generally follow after the first of such words; e. g.,
ki te tahi taha _ona_, ki te tahi taha, _at either side of him_; lit.
_at one side of him, at one side_. Sometimes other words will be found
to intervene between the possessive case and the word that governs it:
e. g., ko nga tangata _katoa tenei o_ Waimate,--_here are all the men
of Waimate_.
§ 10. The word by which a possessive case is governed, is often not
expressed in Maori; e. g., ka tokowha _o_ matou ka mate, _four of us
have died_; e wha nga rau o te kupenga a Hone, _there were four hundred_
(_fishes_ sub.) _of the net of John_; kei hea to Hone?--_where is
John's?_ (garment sub.)
§ 11. In the northern part of this island when a noun is placed in
immediate connexion with such pronouns as _noku, moku, &c._, it will
sometimes omit the article before it; e. g., no ratou _Atua_ a Ihowa,
_whose God is the Lord_; ka meinga mona _wahi_, appoint _him a
portion_.
NOTE.--This form is rare in Waikato.
§ 12. When two substantives meet together, one of which denotes the
material of which the other consists, or some quality belonging to it,
the word denoting the material, quality, &c., will simply follow the
other as part of a compound word; e. g., he whare _papa_, _a_ board
_house_; ika _moana_, _a sea fish_; he repo _hurakeke_, _a flax
swamp_; he oranga _patunga_, _the survivors from a slaughter_; he
tangata _kupu rau_, _a man of a hundred words_; i. e., a deceitful
person.
§ 13. Not unfrequently, when some circumstance or quality, is
attributed to a person, it will be simply affirmed to be him; e. g.,
He _uaua kiore koe_, _you are a rat's strength_; _he taringa whiti rua
(or tua,)_ koe, _you are an_ erring _ear_; i. e., _one who does not
hear correctly_; he kaone tenei, _this_ (heap of potatoes) _is a
gown_; i. e., to purchase a gown; he aha koe? _what are you?_ (i. e.,
what are you come for?) Ko _au_ ra ko _ia_, _I am he_; i. e., he and I
are of the same mind, &c.; ko taku iwituaroa tena, _that is my
backbone_; (a form for making a thing sacred.)
NOTE.--This mode of predication seems to have been much in use
amongst the Hebrews; vid. Gen. 41, 26. The seven good kine (are)
seven years, and chap. 46, 34, "Every shepherd is an abomination;"
"That rock was Christ;" "This is my body;" "Ye were once darkness,"
&c.
§ 14. Another particular, also, in which Maori will be found to
resemble Hebrew is, the frequent substitution of the substantive for
the adjective. Thus, we frequently hear, _he kakakore_ koe, you are
weakness; _he kino_ te rangi nei, the sky is badness, &c., neither
must the student imagine as have some in the interpretation of the
Scriptures, that this mode of construction is always emphatic.
§ 15. The objective case almost always follows the verb; e. g., ka
ngau _i a au_, _he will bite me_; except sometimes in sentences in
which _na_, _ma_, &c. are used; e. g., _nana_ ahau i tiki ake, _he
fetched me_; _noku_ ka mate.
NOTE.--This form will be considered hereafter, (vid. _Verbs_).
Sometimes a noun, which is plural in meaning, will take the form of
the singular; e. g., ko nga tamariki a Kaihau hei _tamaiti_ ki a te
Katipa, _the_ children _of Kaihau are a_ child _to Katipa_; i. e.,
stand in the relation of children.
§ 16. _Compound Words._--A word in connection with a compound word
will often be governed by one of the simples of which the latter
consists; e. g. Kai atawhai _i a koe_; _one to take care of you_;
_koe_ here is governed by _atawhai_; ki te whenua kai mau, _to the
land of food for you_; _mau_, here is influenced by _kai_.
§ 17. A verb can always be changed into a personal agent by prefixing
_kai_; e. g., tiaki ia, _to guard_; kai tiaki ia, _a guard_.
§ 18. On the prefixing and omitting of the article _te_ to
_proper names_;
To lay down any exact rules respecting this subject is, we fear,
impossible: neither, indeed, is it very necessary; as genuine Maori
names are being fast exchanged for those of foreigners. There are,
however, a few particulars which deserve notice. (a) A simple
substantive, adopted as a proper name, may, or may not have _te_
prefixed; chiefly as caprice regulates; (b) If, however, the noun be
in the plural number _te_ is never prefixed; e. g. Ngakainga; (c) A
verb and words compounded of verbs, will generally omit it. e. g.
Tangi: (d) Numerals, as far as _ten_, will generally take it: (e) The
proper names which omit _te_ will be found perhaps to be nearly double
in number those which take it.
NOTE.--The prefixes _rangi_ and _ngati_ belong chiefly, the former to
the names of females, the latter to the names of tribes.
On the distinction between _o_ and _a_;
§ 19. This very useful feature of Maori does not seem to be clearly
recognized in some parts of New Zealand. It obtains, however, in the
other islands of these seas, and may be satisfactorily shewn, even now
to exist in those parts of this island in which it would be least
expected: for example; all will admit that _na_ku i patu, _mine was
the having struck_; i. e., _I struck (him)_, is different from _no_ku
i patu; _because I struck him_; and that _ma_ te aha? will signify,
_by what means?_ and _mo_ te aha? _for what reason?_
The words in which distinction obtains are _mo_ and _ma_, _no_ and
_na_, _o_ and _a_, and their compounds, _mona_ and _mana_, _nona_ and
_nana_, _toku_ and _taku_: the first and leading distinction between
these two forms is (a) that _o_ implies a passive meaning, _a_ an
active. Thus, he patu _moku_ is, _a striking for me_, i. e., for me to
suffer; he patu _maku_ is _an instrument for me to strike with_, (b)
_o_ also implies the inherency, and propriety of a quality or thing,
as well as the time and moral cause of an action.
Hence it will, almost always, be prefixed to the members of the body,
to land enjoyed by inheritance, to sickness, the productions of
nature, such as fruits, &c., &c. Thus, we seldom hear, āku
ringaringa; nāku tena oneone; he mate nāku; _o_ is almost always
employed. Again, we always hear, _noku_ i haere mai nei, _since I came
here_; _mou_ i tutu, _because you were disobedient_; _nona_ te he,
_his was the error_.
(c.) _O_ is always employed in talking of garments and houses, which
are in wear, use, &c. Thus, _naku_ tena whare means, _I built that
house_, Noku, &c., _I dwell in it_.
§ 20. _A_ is prefixed to the _agent_, and implies that the noun, which
is connected with that agent, is either an act of it, or an instrument
with which, or sometimes a thing upon which the action is performed,
such as tools, cultivations, food, _words_, &c., (as _kupu_, _korero_;
because they are fashioned by the tongue); e. g., _taku_ toki; _naku_
tena mara, _maku_ te kupu ki mua; kai _mau_.
§ 21. When the action is intransitive, _o_ is generally employed; e. g.
te toronga atu _o_ te ringa o Hone; _to_ku haerenga. To this rule,
however, there are many exceptions.
NOTE.--Visitors, slaves, or servants, children; (i. e. own children;
or children of whom the individual has the management), husband,
(tane), wife, (wahine), will take the _a_; when, however, _hoa_,
_ariki_, _rangatira_, _matua_, _whanaunga_, are used, _o_ will be
prefixed. _Reo_ also will take _o_; (the voice, being a part of the
man). Oranga, also though it applies to food, will take _o_ after it;
e. g. kai hei oranga _mo_ matou, _food to support us_. In the
following passage "n_o_na te whiunga i mau ai to tatou rongo," _the
chastisement of our peace was upon him_, the _o_ in the _nona_ has,
we think, supplied a more concise and clear rendering than could have
been attained without it.--If it had been, "N_a_na te whiunga, &c.,"
we should have understood that it was he who _inflicted_, instead of
_suffered_ the chastisement. It should be remembered that there are
two pronunciations of _taku_, and _tana_; viz., tăku, and tāku,
tăna, and tāna; the short _a_ corresponds to the _o_; the long
_a_ to the _a_ of _ma_ and _na_. Of tou, _yours_, there are also two
pronunciations; viz., _tou_, and _to_, the former corresponds to the
_o_ of _mona_; the latter sometimes to the _a_ of _mana_.
NOTE.--The _to_ is very frequently used instead of the _tou_--chiefly
in those parts of the sentence in which euphony requires that the
sound should not be prolonged.
The importance of attending to these distinctions between the _o_ and
the _a_ may be shewn by a few examples; he hangi _mau_, is _an oven
with which you may cook food_; he hangi _mou_, is _an oven in which
you are to be cooked_, and would be a most offensive curse; he taua
_maku_ is a party with which I may attack another; he taua _moku_, is
_a party come to attack me_; te ngutu _o_ Hone, is _John's lip_; te
ngutu _a_ Hone is his _word_, or _report_, &c.
[36] The _tua_ is the religious ceremony performed by the father, or
the _Ariki_ of the tribe, when the child was born, to remove the
_tapu_ from the mother and the settlement.