The use of the word "jing."—One of the most striking features of the language is the use of the word jing, which is employed to create a verbal noun out of a verb: for instance, take the verb bam, to eat; if we prefix jing we have jingbam, food. Bat, to hold; jing-bat, a handle. The use of the word nong has already been noticed under the heading "verbs." As an example of another common prefix, it may again be mentioned here. Thus, nong-ai-jingbam means a table servant, literally one who gives food. Again, nong-bat, a holder, literally, one who holds.
Syntax.—The order of words in the sentence is usually (1) subject, (2) verb, and (3) object, in fact, the same as in English, and in this respect it differs entirely from the order in the languages derived from Sanskrit, and that of the languages of the Thibeto-Burman group, as far as I have been able to ascertain. For instance, in the Kachari or Boro language the order in the sentence is (1) subject, (2) object, (3) verb. In Khasi when emphasis is needed, however, the object occasionally precedes the berb, e.g. ia u soh u la die, he has sold the fruit, literally, the fruit he has sold. As stated before, adjectives follow the nouns they qualify, e.g. u lum bajyrong, a high mountain, literally, the hill that is high. Interrogative adverbs may either precede or follow the verb, e.g. naei phi wan, or phi wan naei, where do you come from?
No account of the Khasi language would be complete without some reference to the adverbs which are so very numerous in Khasi. U Nissor Singh, in his admirable little book of "Hints on the Study of the Khasi Language," writes, "Adverbs are so numerous in the Khasi language that I shall not attempt to enumerate them all in this small book. Many of the adverbs, indeed, belong to the untranslatables of the language. We are never in want of a specific term to express the appropriate degree of any quality." To learn how to use the right adverb at the right time is one of the niceties of the language. There is a peculiarity about some of the adverbs of place which should be mentioned: e.g. Hangto, there (within sight); hangne, here; hangta, there (out of sight); hangai, there (at some distance); hangtei, there (upwards); hangthi, there (downwards); also the interrogative adverbs hangno, nangno, whence, contain the inherent root nga, and it seems possible that this nga is the first personal pronoun I. If this is so, hangto would mean literally "to me there," hangthi "to me down there," and similarly nangno, nangne would mean "from where to me there" and "from there to me here."
Adverbs generally follow the words they modify, as u'n leit mynta = he will go now, but there are exceptions to the above rule, such as interrogative adverbs. The following come before those they modify: tang shu, la dang (as soon as, when); kham, shait (used to, ever); pat or put (yet) ; and shym (not); but shuh (more) goes last. Adverbs of past time are formed by prefixing myn, e.g. mynhynne, a short time ago. Adverbs of future time are formed by prefixing la. The particles man, man la, and hala denote repetition.
The Khasis are exceedingly fond of using double words [43] which add much to the finish and polish of a sentence. Old people especially have a predilection this way. It is one of the great diffuculties of the language to learn how to use such double words correctly. The following are some examples:—
Nouns.
kajain ka nep cloth. ka kot ka sla paper. ka lynti ka syngking road. ka iing ka sem house. u babu, u phabu babu. u tymen u san elder. ka stih, ka wait arms (lit.: shield and sword). u badon ba em a well to do person. ka spah ka phew wealth u kha-u-man a relation on the father's side.
Verbs.
pynsyk-pynsain to comfort. ia shoh ia dat to scuffle. byrngem-byrait to threaten. shepting-shepsmiej to be afraid. ihthuh-ihthaw to be familiar. kyrpad-kyrpon to beg. ia lum-ia lang to assemble.
Adjectives.