(*Footnote. After tabulating 100 Kowrarega verbs in all the different forms in which they had occurred to me, I yet failed in arriving at a knowledge of their mode of formation, owing to the deficiency of data on one hand, and the presence of some apparently defective and irregular verbs on the other. Still some of the results are worth recording. Leaving out the consideration of the irregular verbs, I can speak with certainty of only two Moods, the Indicative and the Subjunctive, of the Present and the Past (probably really further divisible) Tenses of the former, and the Present of the latter. As an example I may give the verb to strike, of which the root is assumed to be matum = a stroke.
Indicative Present : nudu ngatu : matumeipa = I am striking him.
Indicative Perfect : nudu ngatu : matnmina = I struck him.
Indicative Future : nudu ngatu : matumeipakai = I shall strike him.
Imperative Present : nudu ngidu : matumur = strike him.
Assuming a root to each, I find 94 of the verbs under examination to agree in having the present tense of the indicative terminating in pa: of these 70 end in aipa, 14 in ipa, 6 in epa, and 1 in aipa.
The perfect tense (setting aside some inexplicable irregularities) exhibits a great variety of terminations for the formation of which no rule can yet be given: these are an, ana, ani; in, ina, ima: em, ema; eima, eiun; and un.
The future tense alone is perfectly regular; it is simply formed by adding kai to the present.
The present tense of the imperative mood in those verbs having the present of the indicative ending in ipa terminates (with one exception in i) in ir: in the others the terminations of this tense are ur (the most frequent); ar (the next in order of frequency), ara, ari; ada, eada; e, eio, eir, erur; and o.
After all I am inclined to suppose that the Kowrarega verb, although apparently complicated, is of simple construction; and that its various modifications are caused by the mere addition to its root of various particles, the exact meaning of which (with one exception) is yet unknown. That exception is the particle aige or ge (804) the mode of employment of which is shown by the following examples :
Wawp' yinu ngai purteipaige = I am not eating your fish.
Wawp' yinu ngai purteiunaige = I did not eat your fish.
Wawp' yinu ngai purteipakaige = I shall not eat your fish.
Wawp' nanu ngi purtaige = Don't eat his fish.
A few examples may be given in illustration of the preceding remarks.
COLUMN 1: ENGLISH.
COLUMN 2: PRESENT.
COLUMN 3: PAST.
COLUMN 4: FUTURE.
COLUMN 5: IMPERATIVE.