A
Noun followed by an adjective constitutes a close unit
of a noun phrase. When the noun in such a noun phrase
has to be pluralised, the plural suffix is to be added
the adjective, and not to the noun. In other words the
whole noun phrase has to be pluralised.
Examples:
/náupá
rìlò/
‘notorious
boy’
/náupá
rìlò-hài/
‘notorious
boys’
/hùná
ínsà/
‘tall
chair’
/hùná
ínsà-hài/
‘tall
chairs’
/níhlíep
dùm/
‘black
umbrella’
/níhlíep
dùm-hái/
‘black
umbrellas’
3.2.4.1
Gender
of Adjectives
Gender
is not manifested in the adjectives in Hmar. When for
any semantic reason the gender of the noun in a noun-phrase
has to be changed the noun alone has to be altered.
In other words, the same adjective occurs after both
masculine and feminine nouns.
/mìhríem
ílnéi/
‘kind
man’
/nùhmèi
ílnéi/
‘kind
woman’
/pà
mìtdél/
‘blind
father’
/nù
mìtdél/
‘blind
mother’;
/árkh
sèn/
‘red
cock’
/árpúi
sèn/
‘red
hen’
/vàràk
cál/
‘male
duck’
/thlà:/
‘moon’
/thlà
thár/
‘new
moon’
/thlà
cénvè/
‘half
moon’
/thlà
hér/
‘crescent’
3.2.4.2
Case
of Adjective
Adjectives
alone do not show inflection for case. But if a noun
phrase containing an adjective has to manifest case,
the case-suffix or the post position marking case follows
the adjective.
/hùná
ínsààìnthkín/
‘from a tall chair’
(chair)
(tall) (from)
/hrúi
séi-ìn/
‘by a long rope’
(rope)(long)(by)
/vádú
líen-àh/
‘in a big river’
(river)
(big) (by)
/thí
ìnsà-àh/
‘on a tall tree’
(tree)
(tall) (on)
3.2.4.3
Use
of Reduplicated Adjectives
Nouns
of multitute, if any, could follow the whole phrase
consisting of N+Adj. Hmar does not form constructions
with reduplicated adjectives. But the noun of multitude
that accompanies could get reduplicated and occur at
the end. The head noun need not be pluralised.
/thí
ìntlàr ìnsá
ták tàk/
‘series
of tall trees’
(trec)
(rows) (tall) (very)
/pà:r
bùk mói ták tàk/
(flowers)
(clump) (beautiful) (very)
'clusters
of beautiful flowers'
/púon
thlé: màntám tàk tàk/
‘heaps of expensive clothes’
(cloth)
(heap)(clostly) (very)
3.2.4.4
Adjectives
used Predicatively
When
adjectives are required to be used predicatively the
adjectives get separated from the head noun by the introduction
of
pùi bè:l/
hù
kín/
