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ETpVqlfq* Goldsm it It. ^carq^q- Silversmith . ac^rqsFq- Coppersm ith. 6. Abstract Nouns. In the Colloquial these are seldom used, resort being generally had to an adjective phrase. Thus, instead of saying TIBETAN GRAMMAR. 107 The goodness of the Dalai Lama is great, u Tibetan would probably say The Dalai Lama is vert, good. When, however, an abstract noun is used, it can be formed in two ways. First- by placing in juxtaposition the roots of two adjec¬ tives with opposite meanings, e.g. Quantity , from 3qc*2f Much, and Little; Distance, from Near, and ^C'CT Far; CJSC'C^* Goodness , from QSCXf Good , and Dad ; and so on. Secondly, by affixing 3fe|" L5, to the root of any adjective * * j e.g. trpjorow Brightness, Clearness, from JTOJOJ-zf Bright, Cleat ■ C^'OJ^r Badness, from C^er Bad ; qyW Goodness, from CR'zr Good. In Literary Tibetan abstract nouns are formed bv adding the root plus one of the indicative particles. Ex. :— sr Ea *y> but Easiness, facilitu. Difficult, but Difficulty. Free , but Freedom. True , but Truth. y^ung, but Youth. Black , but aj=Tj , q*^ff- Blackness. W*\ Mad , but gafCrW Madness, Lunacy. Tedious , but T ed i u m. B .—/n flexion. Tibetan Noun-Substantive is inflected in relation to :_ I.—Gender, The names of ail males, females and inanimate objects are naturally 108 TIBETAN GRAMMAR. masculine, feminine, and common respectively, e.g., 5J* Man (m.) ; Woman (f.) ; Stone (c.). Nouns ending in q* or £f or Q' or or with q* or 5T prefixed or affixed, are generally (in the last two cases always) masculine. Ex. Pupil or novice in a monas- * tery. King, Regent, Temporal Ruler, Rajah. Sj-zf or 3f^ Horse. qcq-sf or Bfqcrr Hog. Hrgp Bull. ^nj^jET]* Bull-yak. 5TS’ Stallion. Boar. 15TCT Father . l?rBfCT This old chap ; / myself ^5'q* Official chief. <5s*^T Grandson. But sometimes nouns in q* or ^1* or or 2j* are common Ex. :— I Beloved, Siveetheart ^ Lover. ^^•q* q* ^ -v— > Basket. sp - 5 Patch. P v g^*q’ Traveller. ^C*q Secret. qpf=T]*CT Servant. p’q" Liquid . Leather. S’* Bitter buck-wheat. Nouns with 51' affixed, or with 51’ affixed or prefixed are gene¬ rally feminine. Ex.:— j5^’5T Mare. W3T Mother. Maidservant. ’5T Tigress. q*5T Daughter , girl. } f Bitch. •n? j £W Niece. TIBET AH GRAMMAR. IUt* But SI and 5} do notalways denote the feminine gender. Kx * Leaf. Lotus . Beam of wood * 5f<3j*£T j Bean. Breeches, patits. Spoon, so SJ Shovel, spade. 00*57" ^4 ni. Hawk, Jh'fe. -Sport, game, p/ay. 0'5i* cAfim6t\ 0057*51* Friend. ^0C SJ* Evening. SJ' Music, cymbals. ^ Arouse. SI Hedgehog. CJ5J’5T Knee. Masculine nouns may be turned into feminine nouns bv substituting a feminine affix for a masculine one. Ex •_ ^ ^ A man of Lhasa . g-0Vr An Indian. A Tibetan. 9*TT*T or Jj'ST A Chinaman , ^4 A Nepali. §* ^T'5T A woman of Lhasa. 0*05^ A woman of India 5J* A woman of Tibet . *51^0 5J'orm'ST woman of C h i na. ^^TSJ A Nepali woman. 2.—Number (а) There are several signs in Tibetan denoting the plural number e-g.— * T‘so. This is the sign commonly used now in the Colloquial with any kind of noun or adjective. (б) Kam. This is Literary, and is seldom if ever heard in the Colloquial. It is largely used, for instance, in the Tibetan translation of the New Testament. ^Sl’Cf is used when TIBETAN GRAMMAR. 1 10 things or persons are referred to separately from others, e.g. cwrergr we five. => vt Da’. This is an elegant substitute for (d) 3^* Cha\ Another book term. Used also in Sikhim and Hutan with personal pronouns, e.g. C'S 2 *]’ fFe,etc. (e) No .plural sign at all need be used when, from the context, it is clear that the plural number is implied, In such cases the noun remains in the singular number. Ex. :— * ^ ^*54 ^qJ 51 SIC | There are (I understand) many lamas in Lhasa. Or, Lhasa (/ believe) has many lamas. (f) \\ hen, however, the plural sign is expressly used, it, and not the noun, nor the adjective, if any, takes the case-sign. Ex. :—- ^ jq QJ £jq 5^* 1 The virtuous men received him . *y) When expressly used, the plural sign comes after the noun if there is no adjective and no article, definite or indefinite. Ex. Men were deceivers ever . (h) When there is only an adjective after the noun, the plural sign is annexed to the adjective, not to the noun. Ex. : — SNarfF* | Good men. (0 If, however, the adjective be used as an attribute of the noun, then the plural sign is annexed to not to the adjective. Ex.: — predicated the noun, The men are good. [f the noun be distinguished an article and also qualified annexed to the article. by an article, or distinguished bv by an adjective, the plural sign is TTB ETAN GRAMMAR. 1 1 l Ex,:— _ c*- i ^^ac2Fq^af| £rascr2r^"3£| The or these men. The or those men. The or these good men The or those good men, Those men are good. 3.—Case. By way of supplementing what has already been said on this subject in § 25, examples are now given of the Declension of Nouns ending in (1) a vowel, (2) final consonants or ^ c* nr ^j*. and 5T 5 *;* or OM * The particular postpositions given are, of course, only examples out of many that might be used. I-—Noun ending in a Vowel. (t) Singular. iff*' Month , or Moon- Nom. \ Voc. ! 3’d' Month. Acc. ) Cen. or Agent. or Dat. Loc, Per. ■ff e, ' Qr Mod. Abl. Term. ^ Of month. By month. To month , or moon. On moon. In or during month. On account of moon or mot at .. Than month or moon. Until month ; as far as moon. 112 TIBETAN GRAMMAR. Plural. '<$>' Months, Moons. Nom. ) Voc. [ Acc. ' Months j 3/oon-s. Gen. Cv OT 5,'iNT 0/ months , O/ moons. Agent. ,fT3&r or By months. By moons. Dat. (fsrSW To months, To moons , Loc. On moons. Per. In or during months. Mod. On account of moons or months. Abl. Than months or moons. Term. ar^wv 'O Until months: as far as moons (ii) Similar ivith Definite Article. Singular. o ^‘<^T Sun or Day. Nom. ■) Cv Voc. [ Acc. 9’w<w The sun or the day. Gen. 9**rw Of the sun or day. Agent. 2?y Me ju or day. Dat. y*r^ar To Me sun or day. Poe. Oh Me sun. Per. During the day. Mod. With the sun or day. Abl. Than the snn or day. Term. Towards the sun. TIBETAN GRAMMAR. N.B. In Colloquial the Definite Article is seldom used. 113 as a matter of fact Plural. ^ <?> The suns or days. Xom. ■ Voc. 1 Acc. J i ^-q^*** 7V/< or dat/s. Oen. Os o Of the sa ns or days. Agent. By the suns or days. Dat. ySTq^'S^aj* To the suns or days. Loc. <>n the suns or days Per. 1 n or during the days. Mod. Os y*rq^\5-^c- If ith the suns or days. Abl. Than the suns or days. Term. I rom the suns or days. (iii)— Similar ivith Indefinite Article. ^fi-cr^r A monastery u Xom. y V r oe. > Acc. ) A monastery. Gen. Of a monastery. Agent. ^5p-I-qq|*5j^- By a monastery * I )at. ^5rj^*q'^cT|-Gi- 7'o a monastery. LOC. op / n a monastery. Per, (Not usedj. {Not used). Mod. li it ft a monastery. Abl. Fhfin a monastery m Term. From a monasttrt/„ 15 114 TIBKTAN GRAMMAR. N.B .—In conversation 3t T> and -TT, in this sense usually dropped in all cases except the Nominative, or Agentive. (iv)— Similar with a higher Numeral. Nom. > Voc, ary**- iSeven angels. Acc. ) 1 S3 Gen. ’O Of seven angels. Agent. afyq^-gar sj By seven angels. Dat. qyq^-ftr To seven angels. X/ etc., etc. (v) —The same with a Definite Particle. Nom. ^ Voc. L . aj'Awarq* ,r The seven angels. Acc. Gen. ^yq^afsfS^ Of the seven angels. Agent. S3 By the seven angels. Dat. afyq^T for fc_ jflK, To the seven angels. SO etc., etc. (vi) The same in the Singular ivith Cardinal. Nom. 1 Voc. ary^jfcr The seventh angel. Acc. SO Gen. qyq^qq; sO Of the seventh angel. Agent. afyq^qar s3 By the seventh angel. Dat. afyq^q*ar To the seventh angel etc., etc. (vii) Similar with Definite Article. Nom. > | —^ ^ — £V Voc. Acc. The first rngel. Gen. Of the first angel. Agent. Dat. TIBETAN GRAMMAR. 1 15 ete., By the first angel. To the first angel. etc. (viii) When, as is sometimes the case, the adjective precedes the noun, the former must be put in the genitive case, and the case-sign must be attached to the noun, or to the definite or indefinite article, if any, or to the plural sign, if any. Ex. :— uqcrf^ q/g^c*r iN^cf^’aKrrrp^ar Good behaviour. From goo<.l behaviour. By this good belutviour. By a good deed. To good deeds. To those good deeds. II. —Noun ending in or C* | '^ c Tj' Sheep. Nom. Voc. L SFT Sheep. Acc. J Gen. Of the sheep. Agent. 'cFV^T By the sheep. Dat. To the sheep. Nom. 'j Voc. i etc., etc. Tree. (N Tree. Acc. ) Gen. C"- C* " a F^\' Of the tree. Agent. By the tree. Dat. To the tree. etc., etc. etc. 116 TIBETAN GRAMMAR. 1 III.—Noun ending in q* or 5^1 ^ Tibet : <£q* Delegate ; Costume . Declined like any other noun, save that the genitive sign is and the agentive sign is ] TV.— Noun ending in 3 \ } W 9 or raj I Buyer: gST Boot; 5jq3sf City; Coal. ^ Declined like any other noun, save that the genitive sign is ?' and the a e entive ig>> is §*T It must be remembered, however, that in Colloquial it is allowable to pronounce all these signs fif and ®I*M § 30.—The Anj ECTIVE. i .