A grammar of the Teloogoo language/Chapter 6

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Chapter 5

A grammar of the Teloogoo language
by Alexander Duncan Campbell

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3049196A grammar of the Teloogoo language — Chapter SixthAlexander Duncan Campbell

CHAPTER SIXTH.

SYNTAX.

An extensive command of words, a knowledge of their various inflexions, and the choice of such as are most fit to convey our ideas, are necessary to the correct use of every language. But these alone are not sufficient: the force, the elegance, and even the meaning of our expressions, must still depend, in a great degree, on an idiomatical arrangement of the terms which we employ. To illustrate the particular disposition of words which is most consonant to the genius of the Teloogoo language, is the object of the present chapter, and as immediately connected with this subject, I shall here take occasion to treat of the adverbs, conjunctions, interjections, and other indeclinable words, unnoticed in the preceding part of this work.

A strict adherence to the rules which have been laid down regarding the permutation and elision of letters, might possibly distract the reader's attention from the main subject of the present chapter- I shall therefore purposely neglect them, in the examples adduced in support of the following remarks, except where the observance of them may be necessary for the elucidation of any particular part of the syntax; and in order to render the study of the Teloogoo more easy to those who have acquired a knowledge of the Tamil tongue, and to shew in what respects the two sister languages coincide, I shall endeavour as much as possible, in this part of my work, to follow the Jesuit Beschi, an author of established authority in' the Tamil language. OF THE CASES OF SUBSTANTIVES, AND THE USE OF THE POSTPOSITIONS.

380 The reader has been already informed, that in nouns denoting inanimate things, the nominative is constantly used for the accusative. This will be % explained more fully when we treat of the government of nouns by verbs.

381 The genitive, possessive, or inflected case, seldom affixes the postposition ^oos" . We constantly find TT5$bo$ oxxix^ used for Tr>s5bo^oo?f coo ew Rama's home; S?o v &> / $' for f <9^&/ &c3oq?fj53f, the court of Indra; Sfttf^ JO^PrssSw f or Sv^c-kS^D?^ sycssSoo, the arrow of Cupid; and So^&fD^tfsSw f or ol35b'c^x>:lf_?5s&D, the wealth of Koobera (the God of riches) c. Deprived of this affix, the genitive in Teloogoo has fre- quently, as in English, the power of an adjective, &&>5$QX& means a beast of the forest that is, a wild beast, <53oo~5~ D oSSbiD the season of sun shine., or the sultry season; wo&Scooi&Jf the sand of the river, or river sand ; ^5bq5)feCJ the water of the lake, or lake water.

382 Two or more substantives relating to the same object agree in case ; but if they refer to different objects, the one governs the other in the genitive ; thus, or ~)^oo|_ c3o the favour of the deity, 5o&S3p o or 35b5apC the ims of men fyc.

383 The inflected or genitive cases of substantive nouns or pronouns, with the terminations of the neuter demonstrative pronouns affixed to them, viz. & in the singular, and S) in the plural number, are constantly used, without any verb, to denote the affirmation of possession ; as 3(3~3$x^ -r that property is mine, o>j-7 l 6e>3$fcewsp>9S) these horses are theirs, &S>~&*>X)$8> that is 6<9 Rama's, ax>3 v ^/^ra>a this belongs to the Bramin, o>n>&*&-&>v?& this garden is the Kings, 53^)_^^"^x)S6cn>^o^ia that book belongs to my father, oxn>awew;5^^o&3 ^JOft this house belongs to a Bramin.

384 The dative case has.generally the same force as the prepositions to, for iu English : thus, i f ^^^ra^^S&o-fta modesty is essential to women, "SooA' -^rooj&l? (5Co5bXCCS&o cmraye is requisite for men- It sometimes repre- sents the English genitive ; as, 3^&oo^!ny raxx)N>?C *xx> (/& soul of a promise is truth, aS^&Si^r^ reS>ao^T?5s5oo ff ie sou i O f a woma n is her honor. Soomutee Shutukum, literally, truth is life to a promise, honor is life to a woman-

The dative is also often used, without a verb, to denote actual possession, 385 as expressed by our verb to have; 39fK>8Po"EPj& n> 'eX> he has much money ; literally, to him, much money; TTW&tf A&oaiT^SxyvSO the King has ten sons, literally, to the King, ten sons- This coincides with the latin rule " Est pro habeo regit dativum," only that in Teloogoo the est is not expressed but understood.

The dative case, used with the positive degree of an adjective, gives the 386 adjective the force of the comparative degree ; and the sign of the dative case serves to represent the English than; thus, ~5T>>2Sb!33&c*i)e--,& f/^ s man i s more clever than that person, literally to that person, this man is clever.

In stating the distance of two places from each other, either one or both of 387 the names of these places may be in the dative case; thus, ^^Ir^Jfo-gjiSV^s&o ^rTT > 55b^^cr^5's3bo or "^^^i^o^^?5crB < ^'Tr D S5b^^j-D^s5bo Benares and Conjeveram are 300 amadas distant ; or Conjeveram is 300 amadas from Benares. *

es^o beyond, oooS'&o on this side, ~^$ above, o below, S&oo&5' 388 before, ~3>3& behind, and other words denoting relation of place, govern the preceding noun in the dative case; as &>3"15?5 above this, o^iOssoS bebio that, &&ls5boo2Stf before this, zy&l'Stfg' beyond that &c.

When we speak of motion towards any place, the name of the place must be in the dative ; as, <"ko S^c^oi^) he, she, or it went to the garden, ^J &** S>55"-3r& he, she, or it went to the village- It is to be observed however, that if the object towards which motion is directed be of such a nature as not to admit of entrance, the postposition *>& or 3$MJ (near) must be inserted between the noun and the sign of the dative;, as, 13|^>^SJ c3c>i& he, she, or it went to the tfee, 13 T> 2^^A8^' r S^^) he, sfie, or it came to the. King.

Nouns of time are generally placed in the dative; thus, 65>& o5o3 cxwj^TT^ 399 &> / will give it to-morrow, ^oejoo^l^^ ^ / shall come the day after to-morrow-

391 When any end, purpose, or intention is to be expressed, we may either place the noun denoting it in the dative case, or use the postposition "^&o or ^_, corresponding with the English phrases in order to, with a view that, for the purpose of, &c. &c. thus, #Xe-3$3fro &>&>&:> or ^$$0 or ^oxr#>5b cOooci) 2 ?^_ D i^)o^^"S^> in order to obtain bliss, we must put our trust in God.

392 Words expressing the different degrees of consanguinity or affinity, or denoting any connection or dependence, govern the noun, to which they refer jn the dative case. Thus, if we ask S^So'Sr >x>~5~*!3&>, Jn what relation does that man stand to you ? the answer will be & Q <Jfc *r so ^p^-ixT* osScn>3Sb- l^&3fctf ^2fc-TP'&^&g2&-i3^&&>yCfc^& he is my brother in law, father-in law, grand son, servant, or friend; literally, he is to me a brother in law, &c. &c. In Teloogoo, we may ask, as in English 2^" cO oo, w ] ia t is your name? r**><3& cO&> ivhat is your age? or we may use the dative, and say To you, what name? what age?

393 The postpositions s ^tfs&D-s^tfSo O r 2. (composed of the noun a side, 2o5So the dative case of &#, from &>$ a side, and 9ooo the past verbal participle of the affirmative mood of ^^) to become, all added to the sign of the dative case) are used nearly in the same sense as the dative itself; thus, 'ee-'5$oo'" (33's$ao O r "~6'o O r 2.^'ex>3o&o&-sr c &b he sent money for merchandize, or on account of trade.

394 Of the use of the accusative, we shall tf eat under the head " General Rules."'