Elementary Lessons In The Swatow Dialect/Grammar

by J. C. G.

GRAMMAR.

Substantives and Adjectives are not declined: the same word expresses both the singular and the plural.

Pronouns.

I me	uá
My, mine	uá-kâi
We, us	ún, (or nán if the person addressed be included).
Our, ours	ún-kâi
Thou, thee	lṳ́
Thy, thine	lṳ́-kâi
You (plural)	nín
Your, yours	nín-kâi
He, she, it, him, her	i
His, her, hers, its	i-kâi
They, them	i
Their, theirs	i-kâi

Verbs remain the same in all moods, tenses, numbers and persons. These distinctons are shewn by the addition of certain auxiliary verbs, as follows:—

To come	lâi
He has come	i lâi--liáu
He came yesterday	i tsa-jít--lâi
Has he come?	i ũ lâi--bô?
He isn’t coming	i m̄-lâi
He doesn't want to come	i m̃--lâi
He can't come	i bõi-tit-lâi, or, i m̄-ôiⁿ lâi.
Why hasn't he come yet?	i tsò-nî būe-lâi?
Is he coming?	i àiⁿ-lâi--mé?
You needn't come	lṳ́ mín-ēng lâi.
Don't you come!	lṳ́ màiⁿ-lâi!