|
The
transformation of affirmation sentences into negative
ones is very common in Hmar. It is generally realised
by using a post position /n h/
to the principal verb. It, however, shows some variations
in respect of equational and imperative sentences. |
| 4.5.1.1 |
Negativization
by adding /n h/ |
|
All
sentences in the indicative mood containing noncompound
verb other than /nih/ ‘is’ could be transformed into
negative by using /nh/
‘not’ post positionally to the main verb. In such sentences
the negative element is the terminal one. The following
examples may be seen: |
| /bù:à
úm/ |
‘(there)
is rice’ |
| /bù:à
úm nh/ |
‘there
is no rice’ |
| /lèkhàbú
cù ká-nèi/ |
‘I
have the book’ |
| /lèkhàbú
cù ká-nèi nh/ |
‘I
don’t have the book’ |
| /khò:lám
ánì áfè:/ |
‘he
has gone somewhere’ |
/khò:lá:ikhóm
áfè: n h/ |
‘he
has not gone anywhere’ |
/b : nénè
á dù/ |
‘he
likes milk’ |
| /b:nénè
á du nh/ |
‘he
does not like milk’ |
| /àhú
tàh/ |
‘he
came’ |
| /àhú
(tà) nh/ |
‘he
did not come’ |
|
|
|
| 4.5.1.2 |
Negativization
of Sentences containing Compound Verbs |
|
Sentences
in the indicative mood containing compound verbs where
tense, aspect, mood etc. are marked by auxiliaries that
follow the main verbs could also be transformed into
negative in the similar manner subject to slight modifications.
The negative element /nh/
occurs, as before, just after the main verb and the
auxiliaries marking future progressive, subjective etc.
follow the negative marker. Here negative marker is
not the terminal element. But pat tense verb forms behave
like exceptions; the past tense marker /tàh/ generally
disappears altogether, which makes the simple past negative
verb forms
looking like simple present negative verbs. The following
examples of negative of compound verb forms other than
past tense verbs could be seen: |
| /káfè:
á nìh/ |
‘I
am going (there)’ |
| /(ka)fè:n:
ní/ |
‘I
am not going (there)’ |
| /áthò:
lái zì/ |
‘he
was doing’ |
| /áthò:
n
lái zì/ |
‘he
was not doing’ |
| /fè:
ká tìh/ |
‘I
will go’ |
| /fè:
nà
ni/ |
‘I
will not go’ |
| /th
á tìh/ |
‘he
will do’ |
| /th
n
ni/ |
‘I
will not do’ |
|
|
|
It
may be noted that future tense marker /tih/ is substituted
by /ní/
in the negative for 1st person and by /nih/ for 2nd
and 3rd persons. |
| 4.5.1.3 |
Negativization
of Sentences containing Imperative Verbs
|
|
Readers
are familiar with the structure of imperative verb phrase;
the auxiliary /rh/
appears after the simple present tense verb forms. Sentences
containing such imperative verbs could also be transformed
into negative by using /n /
in place of /nh/
just after the main verb and the imperative marker follows
/n/.
The following examples could be seen: |
| /th:rh/ |
‘do’ |
| /th:n:
rh/ |
‘don’t
do’ |
| /tíem
rh/ |
‘read’ |
| /tíem
n:
rh/ |
‘don’t
read’ |
|
|
|
Thus,
the neatives of imperative verbs differ from other verb
forms such as progressive, future etc., only in the
dropping of final sound /h/ in the negative marker. |
| 4.5.1.4 |
Negativization
of equational Sentences |
|
The
transformation of equation sentences with verbs for
‘am’; ‘are’ and ‘is’ manifests a different trend. The
negative auxiliary |
