OF GENDER, NUMBER, AND CASE.
Maori, we may premise, admits of no such thing as declension by inflection, i. e., by a variation of the ground form. All the relations, it is capable of expressing, are denoted by words, or particles, prefixed or post-fixed to the noun.
Gender of Nouns.—Distinctions of gender are but seldom recognized in Maori. Only two are ever noticed, viz., the masculine and feminine. These are always expressed by different words, e. g.
In salutation, the sex of the person is almost always denoted by the address, e. g.,
| To the man. | To the female. | |||
| E hoa, friend! | { | Eh kui | } | |
| E pa, —— | to the married woman. | |||
| E mara, —— | Eh tai | |||
| E koro, —— | ||||
| E kara, —— | { | E ko | } | |
| E Ta, —— | to the girl. | |||
| E Hiko, —— | Eh Hine | |||
Note 1.—It should, however, be noted that these modes of address will vary in different Districts. Thus in Waikato E Tai and E ko are often addressed to the male, and E kui to the girl—again also, tane and wahine will be often found applied to the brute creation, and tourahi, in Waikato, is most frequently applied to the gelding.
Note 2.—The speaker should notice that the relationship of individuals of the same sex is designated by the same terms as the corresponding ones of the opposite sex; e. g.,
| John's | Mary's | ||
| elder brother, | is Tuakana. | elder sister, | is Tuakana. |
| younger brother, | teina. | younger sister, | teina. |
| brother-in-law, | taokete. | sister-in-law, | taokete. |
The distinction of sex in the other branches, is generally designated by tane and wahine postfixed to the relation; e. g.,
- hunaonga wahine, daughter-in-law.
- hungawai tane, father-in-law.
Number.—Substantives in Maori have two numbers, singular and plural.
The singular is known by the singular articles te, and tetahi, or by one of the singular pronouns connected with the noun; e. g.
- Te whare o Hone, the house of John.
- Toku paraikete, my blanket.
The plural is known by (1) nga, e tahi, or (2) one of the plural or dual pronouns preceding the noun; e. g.
- nga wahine, the women.
- aku tupuna, my forefathers.
(3.) Sometimes the plural is designated by o, without te preceding the noun; e. g.
- kei o Hone matua pea, with John's uncles, perhaps.
(4.) In a few cases we meet with an alteration in the ground form; e. g.,
- Tamaiti, son; Tamariki, sons, or children.
(5.) In some trissyllables, the first syllable of the plural is pronounced long; as in matua, tupuna, wahine, tangata.
Note.—Examples of these two latter heads are not of frequent occurrence.
(6.) We frequently meet with ma joined to the proper name, in a sense corresponding to hoi amphi, and hoi peri in Greek, to denote the person and his company: e. g.,
- Kei a Kukutai ma, with Kukutai and his party.
(7.) Sometimes also ma is in the same sense postfixed to appellatives; e. g.,
- E mara ma! E hoa ma! E ko ma!
(8.) Sometimes an act oft repeated, or many things of the same kind are denoted by a reduplication of one or more syllables; e. g.,
- Kakata, a frequent laughing.
- Mamahi, over-work.
- Kimokimo, a winking of the eyes.
Case.—The distinction of case in Maori is exceedingly simple. As it is not the character of the language to decline either nouns or adjectives by a variation of the termination, it is evident that, in this respect, Maori is altogether different from Greek and Latin. Are we then to adopt the cases that those languages so clearly need? We are aware that some contend for them. But we are also assured that their adoption would be, not only useless but often exceedingly perplexing.
It is true that prepositions may be found in Maori, as well as in English, that correspond with the cases that are to be found in those languages. But that, we submit, is not the question. Our business, we conceive should be, to inquire how the dependence of words on each other is denoted in Maori, and then look out for a system that will meet, not a few selected cases, but all the various possible conditions.
Now, in Maori, the different connexions and relations of one thing to another are denoted by prepositions; there are upwards of twenty prepositions; and these are capable of being much increased in number by combination with each other; all having distinct meanings, different relations, and therefore distinct cases. Are all these then to be reduced to the six cases of Latin? Those who please may make the experiment with the following; kei runga i te pouaka, kei te kainga, ho atu ki a ia, me titiro atu ki a ia, patua ia ki te rakau, hei tua i te whare, &c.
The simple and comprehensive cases of Murray's English Grammar seem therefore the best adapted for Maori, though we will confess that our own judgment is against allowing any possessive case to Maori.
In English, it is true, that case may be recognised; because the ground form undergoes a change to denote it. Even in Hebrew, something analogous also might be admitted. But in Maori the possessive case is expressed, like all the other oblique cases, by a preposition. It may indeed be said, that in the pronouns we find a possessive formed by inflection. But this might justly be questioned: for it is very probable that noku, and naku, are compounds of no oku and na aku, and, when a native speaks slowly, it may be observed that he pronounces those words as if so spelt.
1. What is called the accusative case in Latin is most frequently denoted by i. This particle is different from the preposition i, and is only employed to denote the passing on of the action of the verb to the noun; e. g., Ko wai hei keri i te mara? who is to dig the field? (vid. prepositions i.)
2. The vocative case is always denoted by e; e. g., E Hone! O John!
[8] We are aware that verbal nouns should properly have been classed under derivative; but as we shall often have to speak of them as a distinct class, and as moreover they closely resemble, in some respects, the participal form of the verb, and are very frequently used instead of the finite verb itself, we have consulted our convenience in thus distinguishing them.
[9] It is true, that we have mentioned (Chap. II. § 6 notes) a few cases which might seem to warrant such a use. But those clearly belong to a different class.
CHAPTER IV.
OF THE ADJECTIVE.
Maori adjectives have no peculiar or appropriate form. They know no distinction of gender, number, case, or comparison.
In common with substantives, adjectives admit often of reduplication to denote repetition, or many things the same kind, &c.—vid. ch. 3, number § 8., e. g.
- Mahi kakata, a frequent laughing.
- He rakau kikino kau, they are all bad trees.
Note.—Comparison in Maori is formed by periphrasis, for which vid. S.
CHAPTER V.
OF THE NUMERALS.
Numerals in Maori abound in distinctions that are not to be met with in other languages.
Tahi, one, has sometimes a form peculiar to itself, being prefixed by ko. All between tahi and tekau may be prefixed by e. All the simple numbers, i. e. all less than ten, will, when preceding the higher numbers, take their ordinary prefixes; e. g.
- E rua, two—e rua rau, two hundred.
- Ka toru, three—ka toru nga rau, three hundred, or it is 300.
- Kia wha, let it be four—kia wha mano, let it be four thousand &c.
- Ka rima five,—ka rima mano, five thousand, &c.
- Ka rima tekau, fifty, &c., &c., &c.
Numbers between ten and twenty are expressed by ten and unit; e. g.
- E ono, six,—tekau ma ono (ten and six) sixteen.
- E whitu, seven,—tekau ma whitu, seventeen.
Twenty, and all numbers between twenty and a hundred, may be expressed in two ways:
1st, (which is now the more general,) by a unit preceding ten; e. g., e ono tekau, (six tens) sixty; ka iwa tekau, ninety, &c.
2ndly, by hoko prefixed to the unit; e. g., hokorua twenty.
Note.—The Maori mode of counting has always, heretofore, been by pairs: thus hokorua, twenty, stands for twenty pair, i. e. forty, and so on. When they wish it to be understood singly they postfix taki-taki to the numeral adjective; e. g., hokorua taki-taki, twenty. Sometimes topu, or pu, is postfixed to make it more clear that the double of the number is intended; e. g., e waru topu, (eight doubled) sixteen.
Ngahuru, with Ngapuhi, denotes ten, and tekau, eleven. In this, the central part of the island, as far as Taupo, ngahuru and tekau represent both of them ten.
In expressing a sum of tens and units, the smaller number follows ten or its multiple, and is connected with it by the numeral conjunction ma; e. g., thirty-four is denoted by "e toru tekau ma wha."
In expressing a sum of hundreds, with tens and units, the tens are postfixed to the hundreds without a ma intervening; e. g., 136 is expressed by "ko tahi rau, e toru tekau, ma ono."
A sum of thousands, hundreds, tens and units, is expressed in the same way, the particle ma only intervening between the ten and the unit; e. g., 1136 is expressed by "ko tahi mano, ko tahi rau, e toru tekau, ma ono."
Note.—It should be here noticed that this is the new mode of reckoning brought in by Europeans, and now fast spreading over the land. The old mode is not so convenient in calculation; but it is often heard; 240 would according to it, be thus expressed; Ko tahi rau ma rua, lit. one hundred and two. Two, here, stands for (twice ten) twenty doubled.
250 would run thus, ko tahi rau ma rua pu tautahi, one hundred and two double, and a tautahi, an odd one.
4900 would run thus; e rua mano ma wha, hokorima te tuma; two thousand, four hundred double, fifty double is the tuma, the excess.
For all beyond a thousand there is, we suspect, a considerable diversity in the nomenclature of different tribes. In Waikato and Taupo 10,000 double, (i. e., 20,000 according to our reckoning,) would be a tini, ten tini, (i. e., 100,000 double) would be indifferently called ngera, rea, hea. All beyond that would be denominated by a tini makehua, a tuaururi whaioio, (or maioio) a tini whakarere, &c.
For denoting a number of persons less than ten, toko is generally prefixed to the numeral; e. g.,
- tokowhitu tatou, we are seven in number.
For denoting distribution tātaki is prefixed to the numeral; kia tātaki rua pu nga utu i te tangata, let each man have four payments.
Note.—Tataki prefixed does not always denote distribution; e. g., Ka tataki-hia nga whakato o ta koutou mara? How many baskets (are these) that have been sown in your cultivation?
In measuring length, a fraction is denoted by huka; e. g.,
- E ono whatianga, huka to te whitu, It is six whatiangas[10] long, not quite seven.
- E waru maro[10], huka to te iwa, It is eight maro, not quite nine.
Ordinals.—The ordinal numbers are formed:
1. By tua prefixed to the cardinal; e. g., tua toru, third, tua iwa, ninth.
2. By whaka prefixed; e. g., whakatekau, tenth.
3. By the simple cardinal with the definite article, ko te wha tenei o aku haerenga mai, this is the fourth of my comings here; i. e., this is the fourth time I have come here.
[10] Whatianga corresponds to the ancient cubit—maro is what a man can measure with his extended arms.
CHAPTER VI.
OF THE PRONOUNS.
The personal pronouns of Maori are as follows:
| SINGULAR. | DUAL. | |
| { | Taua, you and I | |
| Ahau, or au, I. | Maua, he and I. | |
| Koe, thou. | Korua, you two. | |
| Ia, he. | Raua, they two. | |
| PLURAL. | |
| { | Tatou, you all and myself. |
| Matou, they and myself. | |
| Koutou, ye. | |
| Ratou, they. | |
The first person dual and plural has, as may be seen in the above table, two forms, taua and tatou, maua and matou; the former class may be denominated inclusive, the latter exclusive. For example:
The speaker of a company, who is addressing a person just come in, uses matou; e tatari ana matou ki a koe, we are, or have been waiting for you. If he means that only himself and another have been waiting, he uses maua, e tatari ana maua kia a koe: but when he addresses the whole company he uses tatou; Tatou ki te kai, let us go to dinner. If however he is addressing only another beside himself, he uses taua; Taua ki te kai, let us (two) go to dinner. Again, if he says, No matou tenei kainga, he tells you, the hearer, that he and others possess this farm. If he says, No maua tenei kainga, he tells you that he and some other person already mentioned possess it. If however he use tatou, No tatou tenei kainga, he means that all that he is addressing have a share in it. If he says, No taua tenei kainga, he tells you, the hearer, that it belongs to you and himself.
Note.—The student will find hereafter that the dual number is sometimes used for the plural.
In addressing an individual ia is sometimes used in the second person by Ngapuhi; e. g., E ia. It is used in a very strange combination also with wai by some tribes; e. g.,
- Ko wai ia? who said so?
The Personal Pronouns admit, in the singular, of declension; e. g.,
- Ki a au, or, ki ahau, to me,
- E a hau, or, e au, by me,
- Maku or Moku, for me.
- kei a koe, with thee.
- I a ia, from him or from her.
Pronouns, in common with nouns, have no gender. There is no word in Maori to denote the pronoun it with its dual and plural. Their place is generally supplied by some artifice of the construction, as will be shewn in the Syntax.