Page:Handbook of the Swatow Dialect.pdf/41

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GRAMMAR.

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

Pronouns.

I, me Wah.
My, mine Wah-gi.
We, us Wahn.
Our, ours Wahn-gi.
Thou, thee Ler.
Thy, thine Ler.
You (plural) Neen.
Your, yours Neen-gi.
He, she, it, him , her Ee or e.
His, her, hers, its Ee-gi.
They, them Een.
Their, theirs Een-gi.

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

To come Li.
He has come Li leoow.
He came yesterday Ee dzah-jit oo li.
Has he come? Ee oo li ah-baw ?
He isn't coming Ee m li.
He doesn't want to come Ee m i li.
He can't come Ee boy tit li or m oy li.
Why hasn't he come yet? Eo dzawnee booay li?
Is he coming? Ee li ah me
You needn't come Ler meen-eng li.
Don't you come? Ler m i li!
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