open
question of standardization as to which one of these
two syntactic alternant could be considered as the standard
form of passive in Hmar. The following examples could
be seen. |
Active
|
/mè: té-ìn
màzú á thàt/ |
(cat+agent)
(rat) (it) (kill) |
‘a
cat kills a rat’ |
| |
Passive
|
| a) |
/màzú
cù mè:té
thát á nìh/
(rat) (is) (cat) (kill) (it) (is)
‘the rat is killed by a rat’ |
| b) |
/màzù
thàt-tú cù mè:té
á nìh/
(rat) (killer) (is) (cat) (it) (is)
‘the killer or the rat is the cat’
(the rat is killed by the cat) |
|
|
|
Active
|
/náupá-ìn
lè:khácái á sìem/
(boy+agent) (kite) (he) (make)
‘a boy makes a kite’ |
| |
|
Passive
|
| a) |
/lè:khácái
cù náup
sìem á nìh/
(kite) (is) (boy) (make)(it)(is)
‘the kite is made by the boy’ |
|
|
| b) |
/lè:khácái
sìem-tú cù náupá
á nìh/
(kite) (maker) (is) (boy) (it) (is)
‘the maker of the kite is the boy’ |
|
|
|
Active
|
/sitá-ìn
sàvítrí à hmáNái/ |
(Sita+agt)(Savitri)(she)(love)
|
‘Sita
loves Savitri’ |
| |
Passive
|
/sàvítrí,
sìtá-ìn à hmáNái/ |
(Savitri)
(Sita-agt) (she)(love) |
or,
|
/sàvítri
hmàNài-tú cù sita á nìh/ |
(Savitri)
(lover) (is) (Sita)(she)(is) |
‘lover
of Savitri is Sita’ |
| |
Active
|
/sàpé
ltù-ìn sàkéi à ká:p/ |
(hunter+agt)
(tiger) (he)(shot) |
‘a
hunter shorts a tiger’ |
| |
Passive
|
| a) |
/sàkéi
cú sàpé:ltù ká:p á nìh/ |
|
(tiger)
(is) (hunter) (short) (it) (is) |
|
‘a tiger
is shot by the hunter’ |
|
|
| b) |
/sàkéi
ká:ptù cù sàpé:ltù á nìh/ |
|
(tiger)
(shooter) (is)(hunter) (it) (is) |
|
‘the
shooter of a tiger is a hunter’ |
|
|
|
Active
|
/sín
ká th :/
(work)(I) (do)
‘I do work’ |
| |
Passive
|
kéi
à th:
á nìh/
(I) (am) (do) (it) (is)
or,
/ká th:
á nì khà/
(I) (do) (it) (is) (so)
‘it is done by me’ |
| |
Active
|
/lálá-ìn
à mí th:pù/
(Lala+agt) (he) (me)(help)
‘Lala helps me’
/àmí  hàpùitú
cù lálá á nìh/
(me/my)(helper) (is) (Lala) (it)(is)
‘I am helped by Lala’ literally,
‘it is Lala who has helped me’ |
