Obs. iii. In mandarin 我, 你, 他, ’ngó, ’ní, t’á, I, thou, he, all form their plural by taking 們 mun, as a suffix.
Obs. iv. Sometimes 我 ’ngú, may stand for the third person he, This occurs, when two persons in relation to each other are the subject of conversation. The nominative is then considered as I, and the third person, he. Thus, 兄弟曉得呵哥勿喜歡我, h’iúng dí‘ ’hiau tuh á kú veh ’h’í hwén ’ngú, the younger brother knows that the elder is displeased with him. This is not the case when no confusion of persons is likely to happen; e.g. 眼睛𥆝之伊個男人 ’ngan tsing sú tsz í kú‘ nén niun, she looked on her husband.
193. The idea of self is expressed by 自家 zz‘ ká, for all persons, generally preceded by the appropriate pronoun.
- 伊自家話 í zz‘ ká wo‘, he himself said.
- 儂自家要去個 nóng‘ zz‘ ká yau‘ k’í‘ kú‘, you must go yourself.
Obs. i. In mandarin 自己 tsz‘ ’ki; Fúh-kien, 家己 ká ’kí.
Obs. ii. The pronoun 自 zz‘, self, though not used out of combination, occurs in several fixed phrases. 自殺自 zz‘ sah zz‘, to kill one’s-self; 自害自 zz‘ hé‘ zz‘, to injure one’s-self, These concise forms are more agreeable and impressive to the native ear, than the equivalent long forms 自家殺脫自家 zz‘ ká sah t’eh zz‘ ká; 自家害脫自家 zz‘ ká hé‘ t’eh zz‘ ká.
Demonstratives, 194. The demonstrative pronouns are 第個 tí‘ kú‘, this, and 個個 kú‘ kú‘ or 伊個 í kú‘, that.
- 第个事體 tí‘ ku‘ zz‘ ’t’í, this matter.
- 故个物事 kú‘ kú‘ meh zz‘ that thing.
- 伊个小囝 í kú‘ ’siau nön, that boy.
- 伊歇辰光 í h’ih zun kwong, at that time.
Obs. i. When these words combine with any of the auxiliary substantives to form demonstrative adverbs, the particle 個 kú‘ is omitted.
- 第頭好包 tí‘ deu ’hau pau‘, here it is good walking.
- 故搭去住 kú‘ tah k’í‘ dzû‘, go and live there.
- 伊塊人少 í k’wé‘ niun ’sau, the people there are few.