Page:A Manual of the Amoy Colloquial (1898).pdf/21

他不來 I m̄ lâi, He won't come.

他各個有去 In ta̍k-ê ū khì, They, every one, have gone.

我將要去 Góa ài beh khì, I should like to go.

In the above section two words are used for "we, us" viz; "lán, goán" which are carefully to be distinguished in their use,

Lan includes the speaker and those spoken to. Goán excludes those addressed. For example, Goán khì kio--i, we, not you, go to call him. Lán sī Ē-mn̂g lâng, we and you are Amoy men.

With regard to the use of the tones, it is important to remark that whilst every word has its own peculiar tone, which can never be spoken too distinctly when uttered alone, there are yet certain words which become enclitics and are pronounced as though they had no tone whatever. For example, in the phrase employed above "i ài-bô," bô is pronounced without any reference to tone, indeed if the tone be given, the meaning of the sentence is completely changed, and instead of "Does he want it?" the translation would be "He wishes that there should not be any."

The personal pronouns, and the verbs lâi come, and khì go, unless intended to be emphatic, as a rule when following a word lose their tones. The beginner should make a careful note of this,

知 Tsai, Know, as a fact.

識 Bat, Acquainted with.

離開 Lī-khui, Leave, go away from.

至 Kàu, Arrive.

等候 Thèng-hāu, Wait for.

上 Tsiūⁿ, Ascend.

落 Lo̍h, Descend.

行 Kiâⁿ, Walk, act, do.

走 Tsáu, Run.

人 Lâng, Man, men, people.

善 Hó, Good.

惡 Pháiⁿ, Bad.

大 Tōa, Large.