Handbook of the Swatow Vernacular/Grammar

by Lim Hiong Seng

Lesson X.
Grammar.

Substantives and Adjectives are not declined: the same word expresses both the singular and the plural. Pronouns hove a plural form.

Singular.	Plural.
我	Uá, I.	阮。咱	Ún or nán, we.
爾	Lṳ́, thou or you.	恁	Nín, ye or you.
伊	I, he, she, it.	因。伊人	I or i--nâng, they, them.

The distinctions of moods, tenses, numbers and persons are shown by the addition of certain auxiliary verbs or particles, as follows:—

indicative mood.

present tense.

我來

Uá lâi

I come.

爾去

Lṳ́ khṳ̀

You go.

伊要

I àiⁿ

He wants.

阮勿

Ún màiⁿ

We don't want.

恁是我個朋友

Nín sĩ uá kâi phêng-iú

You are my friends.

因。伊人是外人

In or i--nâng sĩ gūa-nâng

They are outsiders.

past tense.

The common signs of the Past Tense are 有 ũ and 甞 chêng, and are employed chiefly in asking questions and in giving answers, but seldom when a subject is simply being spoken of, viz.—

伊分我

I pun uá

He gave me.

伊昨日來

I tsa-jít lâi

He came yesterday.

伊昨日有來或無

I tsa-jít ũ lâi a-bô?

Did he come yesterday or not?

伊昨日不甞來。伊昨日無來

I tsa-jít m̄-chêng lâi, or i tsa-jít bô-lâi

He did not come yesterday.

我昨日甞來。我昨日有來

Uá tsa-jít chêng--lâi, or uá tsa-jít ũ--lâi

I did come yesterday.

perfect tense.

The chief signs of the Perfect Tense are 了 lióu, 正 chiàⁿ, 識 pat, 有 ũ, 未 būe, and 亞未 a-būe.

Lióu^[1] 了 (finish) can only be used to subjects being spoken of, and cannot be used in asking questions, viz.—

伊來了

I lâi--lō

He has come.

阮知了

Ún tsai--lō

We have known.

因到了

In kàu--lō

They have arrived. Chiàⁿ 正 (just) and 識 pat (ever) can be used both to questions and answers, viz.—

伊正來

I chiàⁿ-lâi

He has just come.

爾此時正來

Lṳ́ chi-tsûn chìaⁿ-lâi?

Have you just now come?

爾昔識來此處否

Lṳ́ tsá pat-lâi--chié mē?

Have you ever been here before?

我昔不識來此處

Uá tsá m̄-pat lâi--chié

I have never been here before.

Ũ (have) 有 in the Perfect Tense, generally followed by the interrogative sign 亞未 a-būe, is used for questions only, and 未 būe (not yet) is used for answers, viz.—

伊有來或未

I ũ^[2] lâi a-būe?

Has he come?

伊未來

I būe lâi

He has not come.

因有去或未

In ũ^[2] khṳ̀ a-būe?

Have they gone?

因未去

In būe khṳ̀

They have not gone.

future tense.

The chief signs of the Future Tense are àiⁿ, 正要 chiàⁿ-àiⁿ, (want) 會 õi (can) and 袂 bõi (cannot.) viz.—

伊明天要來

I màⁿ-khí àiⁿ-lâi

He will come to-morrow.

霎時要落雨

Khiã-tiām àiⁿ-lóh-hõu

It will rain bye-and-bye.

伊何時正要來

I tiang-sî chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi?

When will he come?^[3]

伊霎時正要來

I khiã-tiām chiàⁿ-àiⁿ-lâi

He will come bye-and-bye.

我下個月要轉

Uá ẽ-kâi-guêh àiⁿ-tńg

I shall go home next month.

伊會死或袂

I õi sí a-bõi?

Will he die?

伊袂死

I bõi--sí

He will not die.

伊將來會做大

I chiang-lâi õi tsò-tūa

He will be great in the future.

potential mood.

The signs of the Potential Mood are 會 õi, 袂 bõi, 會得 õi-tit, 袂得 bõi-tit, 好 hó, 着 tiéh, and 不可 m̄-móⁿ.

Õi (can) 會 implies ability, and 袂 bõi (cannot) implies its opposite, inability.

伊會氽

I õi-siû

He can swim.

伊袂走

I bõi-tsáu

He cannot run.

Õi-tit (can) 會得 implies possibility, and 袂得 bõi-tit (cannot) implies impossibility.

爾今夜回得來或袂

Lṳ́ ke-mêⁿ õi-tit lâi a-bõi?

Can you come to-night or not?

我不閒。我今夜袂得去

Uá m̄-ôiⁿ, uá ke-mêⁿ bõi-tit khṳ̀

I am busy, I cannot go to-night.

爾早時呾爾袂得來。爾只囘如何會得來

Lṳ́ thâng-kùa tàⁿ-lṳ́ bõi-tit lái, lṳ́ chí-tsûn tsò-nîⁿ õi-tit lâi?

You said just now you could not come, how is it you can come now?

我只囘閒。故此就會得來

Uá chí-tsûn ôiⁿ, kù-tshṳ́ chiũ õi-tit lâi

I have leisure just now, and therefore I can come.

爾若是無共伊呾。伊袂得知

Lṳ́ nāⁿ-sĩ bô kah i tàⁿ, i bõi-tit tsai

If you did not tell him, he could not know it.

Hó 好 is very nearly the same as the English auxiliary verb may, and implies liberty.

我好去否

Uá hó-khṳ̀ mē?

May I go?

爾好去

Lṳ́ hó-khṳ̀

You may go.

我好呾否

Uá hó-tàⁿ mē?

May I speak?

Tiéh 着 (must, ought, or should) implies obligation.

爾着來

Lṳ́ tiéh-lâi

You must, (ought to, or should) come.

喊伊着靜靜

Hàm i tiéh tiām-tiām

Tell him he ought to be silent.

我着𭒡爾

Uá tiéh-hiâm lṳ́

I must blame you.

爾着認爾個不着

Lṳ́ tiéh-jīn lṳ́ kâi m̄-tiéh

You should admit your fault. M̄-móⁿ (don't) 不可 implies the opposite of 着 tiéh, viz. must not, ought not, and should not.

爾不可去

Luú m̄-móⁿ khṳ̀

You must not go.

恁不可分伊去

Nín m̄-móⁿ pun i khṳ̀

You ought not to let him go.

恁不可辯

Nín m̄-móⁿ à

You should not argue.

The Passive verb is formed by the use of the words 分 pun, 乞 khoih (to give) and 分人 pun--nâng (give people.)

爾乞何人打

Lṳ́ khoih tî-tiâng phah?

By whom were you beaten?

我分伊打

Uá pun i phah

I was beaten by him.

伊分人殺

I pun--nâng thâi

He was killed.

分何人殺

Pun tî-tiâng thâi?

Was killed by whom?

是分伊殺或不是

Sĩ pun i thâi a m̄-sĩ?

Was he kileld by him or not?

伊分雷公扣死

I pun lûi-kong khà-sí

He was struck to death by lightning.

伊袂分人騙

I bõi pun--nâng phièn

He cannot be deceived by people.

伊個名聲乞人稱誦

I kâi miâⁿ-siaⁿ khoih--nâng o-ló

His name is praised by the people.

The Progressive Form is formed by the use of the word 在 tõ (in the act of) and 要 iàⁿ (want.)

小兒在耍

Nouⁿ-kiáⁿ tõ sńg

The boys are playing.

我在寫字

Uá tõ siá-jī

I am writing.

亞奴在哭

A-nôuⁿ tõ khàu

The child is crying.

伊呾伊要去

I tàⁿ i àiⁿ-lâi

He says he is coming.

伊要轉去

I àiⁿ-tńg--khṳ̀

He is going home.

comparison of adjectives.

the comparative degree.

The words employed in the comparative degree are 愈 zú, 敬 kèng, (more) 𢰳 ióu, (a little) 過 kùe, (over) 贏 iâⁿ (to be superior, to defeat,) and 輸, (to be inferior, to be defeated.)

愈多愈好

Zú-tsōi zú-hó

The more the better.

只個𢰳大

Chí--kâi ióu-tūa

This is a little larger.

伊有愈多我

I ũ zú-tsōi uá

He has more than I.

此個敬長過彼個

Chí--kâi kèng-tn̂g kùe hṳ́-kâi

This is longer than that.

爾個好。我個愈敬好

Lṳ́--kâi hó, uá--kâi zú-kèng hó

Yours is good, (but) mine better.

伊會走猛過我

I õi-tsáu méⁿ-kùe uá

He can run faster than I.

伊行猛過伊走

Lṳ́ kiâⁿ méⁿ-kùe i tsáu

You walk faster than he runs.

潮州府會贏過汕頭或袂

Tiê-chiu-hú õi iâⁿ-kùe Suaⁿ-thâu a-bõi?

Is Ch'ao-chow-fu better than Swatow?

爾寫個字贏我個

Lṳ́ siá kâi jī iâⁿ uá kâi

Your writing is better than mine.

伊作事贏爾

I tsò-sṳ̄ iâⁿ lṳ́

He does things better than you.

爾無用。輸伊

Lṳ́ bô-ēng su i

You are no use, and are surpassed by him.

爾會走贏伊否

Lṳ́ õi tsáu-iâⁿ i mē?

Can you over take him in running?

袂。我輸伊

Bõi, uá su i

No, I am behind him in running.

the superlative degree.

The words employed in the superlative degrree are 上 siãng and 上頂 siãng-téng (supreme); the latter generally refers to the qualities of goods, viz.—

有上大個否

Ũ siãng-tūa--kâi mē?

Have you the largest one?

此個就是上大個

Chí--kâi chiũ-sĩ siãng-tūa kâi

This is the largest one.

我要上頂好個

Uá àiⁿ siãng-téng-hó--kâi

I want the best (quality.)

---

1. This word is so unaccented, that it is always sounded lō instead of lióu, when it comes after a Double hyphen.
2. In every case ũ may be omitted if preferred.
3. Chiàⁿ-àiⁿ is nearly the same as the auxillary verb will, and is employed thus, e. g. I tiang-sî chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi? when will he come? that is to say, he is not coming now, but when will he come? and the answer is I khiã-tiām chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi, He will come bye and bye, that is to say, he will come, but not before the time when he intends to come.