Summary : A Grammar of the Khasi Language For the Use of Schools, Native Students, Officers and English Residents |
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During the last century, when the then British Govt. of India took up the administration of the newly acquired frontier Districts of Khasi and jaintia Hills of Assam they faced the Language difficulty because they had no practical Knowledge of the native, languages.
To overcome the difficulty of understanding the language of the khasis who mere by far the most numerous and powerful of the Worth-east frontier tribes, the author of this volume wrote, over hundred years ago. grammar of the Khasi language as the guide par excellence for those mho had to come everyday into personal contact of the tribal people during their administrative duties. It is indeed the Product of his persevering and painstaking research.
According to the author, the Khasis have no written language of their own, and therefore no literature of any kind. The khasi language is a member of that Heterogeneous group, sometimes called the 'Sub-Himalayan' of which so Little is known. The race affinity of the khasis to the surrounding
Hill tribes-garos. Cookies. Magas, Looshais, Manipuris etc. and even to the remoter Chinese Is unmistakable
Grammar is the Science which teaches how to speak and write a language correctly. The present book. Is the grammar of Khasi language. it has two prominent features : (i) Complete paradigms for the conjugation of all 'Verbs based on native usage (ii) A detailed treatment of the Article-subjects in regard to which the khasi language possesses features altogether of its own, as compared with the other members of the Sub-Himalayan group.
This Book of grammar was originally written for Khasi students attending the hill schools which enabled them, to acquire not only the knowledge of their own language but also mastering corresponding forms in English. 3t continues to be as useful or even more useful today not only for tribal students eager to learn khasi language but also for all those who are entrusted with the administration of these remote frontier areas.
Introductory Remarks
KHASSI GRAMMAR :
Introduction :
1. Grammar defined
2. Language
3. Parts of Grammar
I. ORTHOGRAPHY :
1. The Alphabet :
i. Vowels
ii. Semivowels
iii. Diphthongs
iv. Consonants
v. The letter
vi. Aspirates
vii. Signs
viii. Emphasis
II. Etymology :
1. The Parts of Speech
2. The Articles :
i. Their Use
ii. Their Forms
3. The Noun :
i. Common
ii. Proper
iii. Abstract
iv. Number
4. The Noun :
i. Cases
ii. Gender
iii. Diminutives
5. The Adjective :
i. Formation
ii. Gender
iii. Comparison Numerals
iv. Collective Num.
v. Ordinals
6. The Pronoun :
i. Personal
ii. Emphatic
iii. Relative
iv. Adjective
v. Distributive
vi. Indefinite
vii. Reflexive
viii. Interrogative
7. The Verb :
Classified :
i :
a. Intransitive
b. Transitive
c. Impersonal
d. Auxiliary
ii :
a. Causative
b. Frequentative
c. Inceptive
d. Reciprocal
e. Intensive
8. Moods and Tenses
i. Auxiliaries of Mood
ii. Auxiliaries of Tense
iii. The Moods
iv. The Tenses
9. The Conjugations :
i. Neuter-long, 'to be'
ii. Indicative
iii. Subjunctive
iv. Imperative
v. Potential
vi. Infinitive
vii. Participle
10. Active.-thoh :
i. Ex. of all the Moods and Tenses
11. The Passive.-ieit, 'to love.' :
i. Ex. of all the Moods
ii. Negative forms
a. Ex. for all the Moods, &c
iii. Progressive Form
a. Active Voice
B. Passive Voice
iv. Emphatic Form :
a. Additional Remarks on the Verb, &c., &c
12. The Adverb :
i. Adverbs of Time
ii. Adverbs of Manner
iii. Adverbs of Place
iv. Adverbs of Affirmation, & c.
vi. Peculiarities of
13. The Preposition :
i. Of Place
ii. Of Time
iii. Of Agency
iv. Of Cause
v. Others
14. The Conjunction :
i. Copulative
ii. Disjunctive
iii. Correlative
iv. Examples
15. The Interjection
III. SYNTAX :
1.Arrangement :
i. The Simple Sentence
ii. The Compound do
iii. The Complex do
2. The Article :
i. Originally Definite
ii. When Repeated
iii. When Omitted
iv. When Omitted
v. When Omitted
vi. Before Adjectives
vii. With the Obj. Case
viii. As a Possessive Pron.
ix. Forms Abstract Nouns
3. The Noun :
i. The Nominative Case :
a. Several Nom. Connected
b. Number
c. Gender
d. Collective Nouns
ii. The Possessive Case
iii. The Objective Case :
a. Double Objectives
b. Cognate Objectives
iv. The Dative Case
v. Instrumental Case
vi. Locative Case
4. The Adjective :
i. Position
ii. Ba, as Pref. and Conjunction
iii. Ba, Omission of
iv. Adjective and the Article
v. Numerals
vi. Adj. of Quantity, Position of
vii. Degrees of Comparison :
a. Comparative
b. Superlative
c. Superlative Absolute
viii. Force of Kham
ix. Force of tam
x. Use of ia
xi. Use of ban ia
5. The Pronoun :
i. Personal Pronouns
ii. When omitted
iii. Force of ma
iv. Emphatic Pronouns
v. Possessive Pronouns
vi. Reflexive Pronouns
vii. Relative Pronouns :
a. Wrong' use of do
viii. Demonstratives
ix. Distributives
x. Indefinite Pronouns : Ex. of their use
xi. Interrogative Pronouns : Ex. of their use
xii. Compound Relatives : Ex. of their use
6. The Verb :
i. Adjectives used as Verbs
ii. Adverbs used as Verbs
iii. Special forms
iv. Long and don
v. The Passive Voice
vi. The Pres. Indicative
vii. The Imperfect
viii. Future forms
ix. Ynda and hynda
x. Past, Perfect and Pluperfect
xi. Interrogatives
xii. Negatives
xiii. The Imperative
xiv. Compound Sentences
xv. Complex : Sentences
xvi. The Infinitive
a. bain omitted
b. nang and 'Uan
c. Gerundial Form
xvii. The Participle
a. da and ia
b. with kaba
c. English Perf. Participle, how Rendered
7. The Adverb :
i. Position
ii. Degrees of Comparison
8. The Preposition :
1. When Adverbs
i. Bad and ia
ii. Bad, da, and na
iii. Ha and sha
iv. Ha and ia
v. Jong and jing
9. The Conjunction :
i. Bad, Force and Position
ii. Bad and Ruh
iii. Bad and de
iv. Ruh, 'even'
v. Ba, the use of
vi. Correlatives and Disjunctives, Ex. of
10. The Interjection