|
7. |
idu vu-na- i
|
ā€yesterday-time ;
last timeā€™ |
|
8. |
sodu vu-na-sĆ¼
|
ā€tomorrow-time ; next
timeā€™ |
|
3.3.8.8.
|
Quantifiers |
| Quantifiers
in Mao quantify referents in terms of a six-term opposition
: (a) an indefinite quantity, count or mass, expressed by
ko, which has no lexicalised translation in English,
(b) a quantity, count or mass, which translates into English
as ā€a little ; a fewā€™, (c) a quantity, count or mass which
translates into English as ā€a little ; a fewā€™ but which
is greater in number than (b), (d) a quantity, count or
mass, which translates into English as ā€someā€™ (e) a quantity,
count or mass, which translates into English as ā€many ;
muchā€™ and (f) an all-inclusive quantity which translates
into English as ā€allā€™ |
|
(a)
|
ko
denotes an undefined quantity. When it is count, it may
be one, two or many, and when it is mass, little or much. |
|
585 |
larĆ¼bvĆ¼ ko |
| |
|
| |
odzĆ¼ ko |
| |
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| |
cini ko |
| |
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| |
ovo ko |
| |
|
| |
nieomĆ¼i
ko |
| |
|
| |
ocĆ¼ ko |
| |
|
| |
hobu
ko |
|
When the predicate is ho the negative of bu
ā€beā€™, ko is the quantifier to use and not
tocĆ¼toko ā€a few ; a littleā€™ or (kocu)  oko
ā€a few ; a littleā€™ or any other (except of course the all
inclusive hopfĆ¼
ā€allā€™), Thus,
|
| 559 |
odzĆ¼ ko(-e)
hoe |
ā€there is no (any)
waterā€™ |
| |
|
|
| *odzü |
tocĆ¼oko |
hoe |
| |
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| |
kocuoko
|
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kocuko |
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| |
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kapoko |
|
|
on the other hand, with verbs like pu ā€have moreā€™,
ko is NOT the quantifier to use.
|
|
560. |
|
*odzĆ¼ ko pu le
|
ā€(I) will have more
waterā€™ |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
odzĆ¼
{ kocuoko
} pu le |
ā€(I) will have a little
more waterā€™ |
| |
|
{
tocĆ¼oko
} |
|
| |
|
{
kapoko } |
|
| |
|
{
oko
} |
|
| |
|
|
|
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|
(b) |
tocĆ¼oko
|
ā€a litle ; a fewā€™ |
| |
|
|
|
|
561 |
|
tocĆ¼oko
|
may be partitive or
holistic |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
larĆ¼bvĆ¼ tocĆ¼oko
|
ā€a few booksā€™ |
| |
|
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odzĆ¼ tocĆ¼oko
|
ā€a little waterā€™ |
| |
|
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(c) |
kocuoko/oko
|
ā€a little ; a fewā€™ |
|
kocuoko
may be partitive or holistic but oko
is holistic with count nouns i.e. it signifies a whole group.
Thus,
|
| |
{
kamĆ¼iko }2 |
|
|
562 |
nieomĆ¼i1
{
} |
mamĆ¼i zhĆ¼e 3 |
| |
{
*oko
} |
|
| |
|
|
| |
a few (in a group)2
|
girls1
are beautiful2
|
| |
|
|
| |
larĆ¼bvĆ¼ oko
|
ā€a few booksā€™ |
| |
|
|
| |
omĆ¼i oko
|
ā€a few men (who constitute
a group)ā€™ |
| |
|
|
| |
larĆ¼bvĆ¼1
kocuoko2
pio3 |
give3
a few2 books
1 |
| |
|
|
| |
odzĆ¼ kocuoko
pio |
give3
a little2 water
1 |
| |
|
|
|
As intimated earlier, kocuoko
and oko
signify a greater quantity than tocĆ¼-oko.
|
There
is another form viz., kocucu/kocĆ¼cĆ¼ ā€a littleā€™
which is a distributive form of a nonexistent kocu/kocĆ¼
|
| |
kocucu/kocĆ¼cĆ¼1
kozhĆ¼ pio2 |
|
| |
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| |
ā€distribute2
a little to each1
|
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(d) |
kocuko /
kamĆ¼iko / teali / kapoko |
ā€someā€™ |
|
kamĆ¼iko is typically for human nouns, although (loosely)
it is used with nonhuman nouns too.
|
|
563. |
nieo1
kamĆ¼iko2 |
ā€some2
females1 |
| |
|
|
| |
omĆ¼i1
kamĆ¼iko2 |
some2
men/persons1
|
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nopfĆ¼mĆ¼i1
kamĆ¼iko2 |
some2
married women1 |
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kolamĆ¼i1
kamĆ¼iko2 |
some2
plainsmen1 |
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|
also |
|
| |
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| |
odzĆ¼1
kamĆ¼iko 2 |
some2
water1 |
| |
|
|
| |
larĆ¼bvĆ¼1
kamĆ¼iko2
|
some2
books1 |
|
