A Manual of the Foochow Dialect In Twenty Lessons/Lesson V

by C. M. S. and A. E. Champness

LESSON V.

⿰亻鞋 â̤

it does, can

喇 lā

an euphonic particle

吓 â

an euphonic„ particle„

彀 gáu

enough

拜 bái

worship, bow down to

靠 kó̤

to lean against, to trust

伓 ng

not

天 tiĕng

heaven, sky, weather

麼 mò̤

interrogative particle

箱 siŏng

box

好 hō̤

good

呆 ngài

bad

着 diŏh

at, upon, in must

大 duâi

large, great

細 sá̤

small

嫩 nâung

small, (of things

創造 cháung-cô̤

to create, make

伓直 ng dĭh

do not want

會意 huôi-é

to understand

昧務 muôi ô

have not

下底 â-dā̤

below.

賣 mâ̤

does not, cannot

只塊 cŭ-uái

here

許塊 hŭ-uái

there

只邊 cī bĕng

this side

許邊 hṳ̄ bĕng

that side

在汝 câi nṳ̄

as you please

直 dĭh

to want

故 gó

still, moreover, therefore

⿰亻鞋駛的 â̤ sāi dék

it will do, also denoted permission (may)

賣駛的 mâ̤ sāi dék

it will not do, may not

教堂 gáu-dòng

church

呢 nì

interrogative particle

將其 ciŏng-gì

why?

一封批 siŏh hŭng pĭe

a letter

條 dèu

N. A. of long things, as streets, boats, etc.

因 ĭng

because

gà̤-dēng

above

街中 gă̤-dŏng

on the street

Positive and Negative

1. (a) Questions are often asked in English by making two statements, one positive and one negative. There is a Chinese idiom corresponding to this, using the words 務毛 ô, mò̤; have, have not. Is there or t? ô â mò̤? Has he any money? ĭ ô cièng â mò̤? Is there anybody there? hṳ̄ bĕng ô nè̤ng â mò̤? (Note the euphonic particle â before mò̤.)

(b) â̤ expresses an emphatic positive and is used in asking questions with mà̤ which is the corresponding emphatic negative. â̤ also denotes ability and implies permission or assent. Can he do it? ĭ â̤ có̤ mâ̤? He can do it. ĭ â̤ có̤. He cannot do it. ĭ mâ có̤. Do you understand my meaning? nguāi gì é-sé̤ṳ nṳ̄ â̤ huôi-é mâ̤?

(c) Ng expresses a simple negative. Will he do it? ĭ có̤ ng có̤? Do they want those things or not? hiā nó̤h ĭ dĭh ng dĭh?

(d) Sê ng sê, includes the phrases, is it so or not? is it not so? yes or no? Will it do? hō̤ ng hō̤? Is it enough? gáu ng gáu?

(e) Negative interrogative sentences are formed by making a negative statement and placing mò̤ at the end. Is not this yours? cuòi ng sê nṳ̄ gì mò̤? Is not this his money? cuòi ng sê ĭ gì cièng mò̤?

(f) Such questions as “why does? Why does not?” are formed as follows: Why does he not worship God? I ĭng sié-nó̤h iòng-gó ng bái Siông-Dṳ́?

2. Ciŏng-gì is the most common expression used in asking “why?” It is a very forcible expression and often implies reproof. Why do you not listen to him? nṳ̄ ciŏng-gì ng tiăng ĭ? Why have you not done it? nṳ̄ ciŏng-gì muôi có̤?

3. 故 Gó refers to something additional, and is the equivalent of “further, besides, more, in addition”. Is there are any more? 故務吓毛 gó ô á mò̤? Have they any more paper? 伊故務紙吓毛 ĭ gó ô cāi â mò̤? How many more books has he? 伊故務幾本其書呢 ĭ gó ô gūi buōng gì cṳ̆ nì? Do you want any more? 汝故直伓直 nṳ̄ gó dĭh ng dĭh?

4. The preposition 着 diŏh. The noun governed by the preposition is inserted between 着 diŏh and the other part of the phrase denoting place. Your book is below the table, 汝其書着棹下 nṳ̄ gì cṳ̆ dió̤h dó̤h â. Diŏh roughly corresponds to the first half of such compound words as “under-neath”, “up-on,” but is occasionally omitted. My things are here, 我其乇着只塊 Nguāi gì nó̤h diŏh cŭ-uái. His things are not here, 伊其乇毛着只塊 ĭ gì nó̤h mò̤ diŏh cŭ-uái. There is no one there, 毛𠆧着許塊 mò̤ nè̤ng diŏh hŭ-uái.

5. The preposition “for” is included in the words 買 mā̤, to buy, and 賣 mâ̤, to sell. What did you give for this donkey? 只一頭驢是箬壞錢買其 Cī siŏh-tà̤u lè̤ sê niŏh-uái cièng mā̤ gì? What will you take for this chair? 只一張椅汝賣箬壞錢 cī siŏh-tiŏng iē nṳ̄ mâ̤ niŏh-uái cièng?

6. To trade, to do business, is expressed by 做買賣 có̤ mā̤-mâ̤ or 做生意 có̤ sĕng-é or 做生理 có̤ sĕng lī. What business is he engaged in? 伊做世乇買賣 生理 I có̤ sie-nó̤h mā̤-mâ̤ or sĕng-lī.

7. When it is necessary to explain or define something that has gone before, 就是 cêu-sê is used, rather than 是 sê alone. The two characters Ià-Sŭ mean Savior, 耶穌二字其意思就是救主 Ià-Sŭ lâng cê gì é-sé̤ṳ cêu sê Géu-Ciō.

8. 喇 Lā probably a corruption of 者 ciā stands for the article “a” in sentences where 務 ô̤ and 毛 mò̤ are used in the sense of “there is, there is not”. There was a man, 務喇𠆧 ô̤ lā nè̤ng. There is nothing that he cannot do, 伊毛喇賣做 ĭ mò̤ lā mâ̤ có̤.

9. The word for only 㑚 nâ precedes the verb. He only wants one hundred, 伊㑚欲一百 ĭ nâ ó̤i siŏh báh. Only buy two sheets of paper, 㑚買二張紙 nâ mā̤ lâng-tiŏng cāi.

EXERCISE V.

𠆧客 nè̤ng-káh

guest

樓頂 laù-dīng

upstairs

樓下 laù-â

downstairs

拭氳塵 chék ŭng-dìng

to dust

留心 liù-sĭng

attentive

牛乳膏 ngù-nẁng-gŏ̤

condensed milk

羞恥 siēu-lā̤

ashamed

排排䟰 bà̤-bà̤ giàng

to walk abreast

書院 cṳ̆-ièng

college

毛着 mò̤-diŏh

absent

學生 hŏk-sĕng

scholar

遇看 ngê̤ṳ-diŏh

to happen, to meet

Translate into English:—

1. Ô lā Siông-Dá̤.
2. Lā̤-bái-dòng ô niŏh-uâi nè̤ng?
3. Cŭ-uái ô gáu-dòng mò̤?
4. Ciā lâng-buōng cṳ̆ ng sê ĭ gì mò̤?
5. Ĭ gó dĭh sié-nó̤h?
6. Ĭ diŏh gă̤-dŏng có̤ sié-nó̤h dâi?
7. Cī siŏh-ciáh cê gì é-sé̤ṳ nṳ̄ â̤ huôi-é mâ̤?
8. Sé-buōng bék gáu ng gáu?
9. Nṳ̄ ciŏng-gì muôi chīang ĭ sô̤i nì?
10. Ô lâng-ciáh nè̤ng-káh lì. Ĭ ó̤i giĕ-lâung lâng-lăk, lièng ngù-nèng gŏ̤ siŏh ăk.
11. Ô săng-báh báik-sĕk ngô buōng Séng-Gĭng.
12. Lĕ̤k-chiĕng báikbáh nê-sêk sé ciáh siŏng. Hŏk-sĕng ô niŏh-uâi? Săng-báh nê-sĕk lĕ̤k ciáh.
13. Ô ngô-ciáh nè̤ng-káh lì. Miêng-bău gáu ng gáu?
14. Nè̤ng-gă gó dĭh gūi-cī.
15. Hŏk-sĕng bà̤-bà̤ giàng â̤ sāi dék.
16. Sáu-chīu ciŏng-gì mò̤ diŏh làu-â?

Translate into Chinese:—

1. How many more people have brought money?
2. Will he do that?
3. One box is not enough.
4. Why will they not go?
5. Mr. Uong is my guest. Where has he gone? He has gone upstairs.
6. Is his boy in our college? No, he is not.
7. Those boys are inattentive.
8. Is not this your son? No, he is the son of my friend. Why is he here? He has come to buy a hymn book.
9. May I make the box this way? Yes.
10. Why does he not go to college? He has no money.
11. Over twenty boys were absent.
12. Please dust upstairs.
13. There are three pastors downstairs. They want to buy books.
14. What books do they want? They want Bibles and Hymn books.