Outlines of a Tharaka Grammar: With a List of Words and Specimens of the Language

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OUTLINES

A

THARAKA

OF

GRAMMAR

WITH A LIST OF WORDS AND SPECIMENS OF THE LANGUAGE

BY GERHARD LINDBLOM

UPSALA 1914

496.3

74

T364

A

UPSALA 1914 K. W. APPELBERGS BOKTRYCKERI

Introduction.

The Atharaka, or Athaka, as they are called by their neighbours to the south, the Akamba, live south-east from Mount Kenia, on both sides

of the river

Tana, on its upper course, along which

they spread eastward to the regions about the Great Falls .

From

the Mumoni mountains, the northernmost corner of Ukamba , it is a long day's march across uninhabited territory, totally devoid of water, before Tharaka land is reached . The country is quite small, and the tribe certainly does not number more than 6000-7000 persons.

Despite this, the brave and

warlike people have known how to make themselves respected by their neighbours, and even Arabian traders and European travellers provided with fire-arms have , as much as possible, avoided passing through the

district,

which up till now has remained a closed

territory. It is only a few years ago that, through the introduction of >> huttax » , it came , more than in name only, under English sway. Yet the Atharaka are treated with the greatest circumspection, and no traders, not even coloured ones , are admitted to their country.

Being very primitive by nature, too , they have been

preserved by these measures in their original state , and are one. of the tribes of the protectorate as yet most unaffected by civilization. As regards administration, the part of the tribe domiciled on the southern bank of the Tana is under the jurisdiction of the Kitui

Station,

which is

six days' march to the

situated in the eastern part of Ukamba , south ; the

northern part, on the other

hand, is under the oversight of Embu, on the southern slope of Kenia. Among their neighbours, the Atharaka are reputed to be particularly versed in the practice of black magic, and this, more perhaps than their valour, has helped to keep them safe from the

Lindblom , A Tharaka grammar

4

raids of the Akikuyu and Akamba, their neighbours in the southwest and the south. Many a medicine-man among the latter wanders up to Tharaka-land to

be

initiated into secret arts at a

heavy price. The first European to visit the little people was probably the well-known Dr. Peters, who in 1889, on his expedition undertaken them .

with a view to relieving Emin Pascha, had to fight with He writes their name wrongly »Wadsagga » and compares

the name to the Wadjagga, with German spelling » Wadschagga » , on Kilimandjaro . No information either in point of language or of ethnography is to be found in his work¹ . As to the origin of the Atharaka , the few Europeans who have been up there have formed two different opinions. According to one opinion, the people is a kind of cross between the Akikuyu

and the Akamba (thus thinks Peters) ; according to the

other, they are an offshoot of the Wapokomo, who live further down the Tana. Hobley, who is experienced as regards a great many East African

tribes, says : » This tribe [Tharaka] appears to have

come up the river Tana from Pokomoland , and some of the elders say, that they are an offshoot of a tribe living N. and NW. of Malindi (a town on the coast north of Mombasa). It is rather curious to

note,

is

a

that one of the common devices on the Tharaka shield

cross, and if, as they say, they came from the region near

Malindi, it is quite possible , that they copied this from the same device displayed on the flags of the early Portuguese conquistadors » . To judge from the language only, one of the three principal factors to be reckoned with in ascertaining where a people belongs , and the only one to have

available to me, the former hypothesis seems

good foundation ,

both

as

regards

sounds and

forms ,

whereas Kipokomo appears to be more akin to the Bantu dialects of the littoral, particularly to Kinjika.

To illustrate this I will give some examples : r is extremely frequent in Kikuyu as well as in Kitharaka , while in Kikamba it is

wanting, and in Kipomoko to be found in loan-words only . occurs in Kikuyu and in Kitharaka ; in Kipokomo , again, only in

1 Carl Peters , Die deutsche Emin-Pascha- Expedition . München u. Leipzig 1891 , pag. 171 . 2 C. V. Hobley, Ethnology of the Akamba and other East-African tribes . Cambridge 1910 , pag. 2 .

Introduction while

loan-words,

in

Kikamba

it

5

occurs with great frequency,

very often responding to r in the other languages. Typical of Kikamba are the short, contracted word- stems, which very often cause two vowels to follow each other. In the two dialects first or r inserted bereferred to the forms are longer, having back tween the vowels : Kamba ka ' finger', the two other dialects kara ; Kamba : kılınṛa = Mount Kenia, the two others kirinaga etc. Original t , which is met with in Kikamba , Kikuyu and Kitharaka, becomes h in Kipokomo : Kithar. tuma Kikamba-Kikuyu tuma ' send' » -tatu 'three' » >> -patu » » » ota ota, nota mwaki

Kipok. huma -hahu

'warm oneself' Pok.

»

»

muti

muti 'tree'

oha

Kipok. muhi etc.

If we turn to the accidence, the tense-prefix of the future is in Kipok. dza, in the three other dialects ka. In Kipok. herewith

a preterite

The negative others ti.

vided

verbal suffix is totally wanting.

ra in Kikuyu and Kitharaka , particle

of the

ilə,

Cf.

və in Kikamba .

verb is in Kipok. s , in the

The vocabulary of Kitharaka can , speaking broadly, be diinto 3 groups : the words of one group are identical with

those of Kikamba , of another with those of Kikuyu , again a third group shows no approach to the two dialects last mentioned . On the other hand, the close relation between Kikamba and Kikuyu has as a result that the same stem frequently exists in all three languages. There is, further, some reason to expect Kitharaka to stand near those

dialects

that

are

spoken by the neighbours on the

southern slope of Kenia , the Meru- people and the (W)ambele (or (W)ambere) . On the language of these , however, nothing has been written to my knowledge¹ . 1 It is surprising to find in Kitharaka the salutation-word tagwinza and the answer to it : gu, both of which forms tally with takuenya -igo of the Massai. Any influence from the Massai can hardly be am not aware, suggested, I take it, as they live too far away. I whether the words occur in Kikuyu too . Another odd coincidence strikes us in the fact that the words for » mother » and » uncle » , a and abu respectively, are exactly the same in Taveta south- east of Kilimandjaro .

Lindblom , A Tharaka grammar

6

We have found, related to Kipokomo .

then,

that Kitharaka is not at all closely

As regards

its relation to the other two

languages, already from what has been said above , but still more from a study of the works recorded below, it will be realized that it is

more

akin to Kikuyu than Kikamba (cf. further, e . g . the

verbal prefix Kikamba -na-, the two others -ra-) . And , in fact, this tallies with what little I know about the Atharaka in an ethnological respect .

Like the

Akikuyu

and the Kenia tribes they

carry shield and spear, while the Akamba fight only with sword, bow and arrows. The latter bore but a small, round hole in their ears, wearing there small metal rings or chains. The Atharaka and the other tribes stretch the lobe of the ear so far as sometimes to make it reach down to the shoulder, putting big wooden plugs in the hole . As to ethnological works on the Tharaka-people, I can only refer to two short manuscripts, the one written by C. Dundas, the other by A. Champion . Both these gentlemen were assistant district commissioners in the Kitui district in 1911 and have visited the tribe in the performance of their office . For comparative studies the following works may be mentioned :

for Kikuyu : A. W. Mc Gregor, Grammar of the Kikuyu language, London 1905. idem, English-Kikuyu vocabulary, London 1904 ; and for Kikamba : E.

Brutzer,

Grammatik der Kamba-sprache ¹ , Berlin 1905 .

As for Pokomo , see C. Meinhof » Pokomo » , in » Afrikanische Studien 19052 , from where the above description concerning that language has been taken. In Kitharaka nothing has been done, for which reason the following account has all the great flaws characteristic of a first treatment. Yet, even this brief account may perhaps aid in widening, on some point, our knowledge of the Bantu dialects and of their mutual relations in those regions. 1 Mitteil. des Seminars für oriental. Sprachen. Cf. further J. Hofmann , Wörterbuch der Kamba-sprache (Kamba-Deutsch) , 1901 (in Mitteil. des Sem .) . 2 Mitteil. des Seminars für oriental. Sprachen .

Introduction

7

I am sorry to say I have not myself been in a position to visit the Tharaka in their country.

My kamba-carriers flatly refused

to go with me, nor did I succeed in securing others for the purpose, so extremely did the people fear the Atharaka . Nov.- Dec . 1911 , however, two young Tharaka- men were in my service , one of whom who called himself wa kapoma ― spoke Kikamba admirably. The present study is founded on my conversations with them . It is fairly succinct, yet not more so than that even he who has but a scant knowledge of the Bantu languages can read it.

Appendix.

After that this had been written I have seen that

A. Champion A. D. C. has published a paper on the ethnology of the Atharaka in » The Journal of the Anthropological Institute » vol. XLII, pag.

68-90 . As to the origine of the Atharaka he says (p . 69 ) : >> They all seem convinced that their forefathers came from the

south-east, and that they occupied the Kitui District before , the Akamba crossed the Athi,

but that they were gradually driven back by the

Akamba, till they sought refuge amongst the hills which they now occupy. Some say that the Galla were in the country when the Atharaka were driven back , whilst others say that they found the country uninhabited . . . No doubt many Kikamba customs have been absorbed , but I am strongly of the opinion that the Atharaka are not an offshoot of the Akamba, but an entirely different race » . In the introduction I mentioned that in Kitharaka occur the salutation-words taguinza-igu, both of which tally with takuenya- igo of the Masai. I don't know myself about any intercourse between the Atharaka and the Masai, but according to Champion »the Masai visited them long ago, but were driven out by the Atharaka , who used bows as well as spears , and great numbers of the Masai were killed » .

Phonological notes. In writing the language I avail myself of the Swedish dialect. alphabet, as this offers, in my opinion, the most handy way of exactly figuring the pronunciation. A stroke under the letter marks length of sound . I. In Kitharaka there are the following consonants : b , ₺ , m, 6, t, d, l, n, d, s, þ, d, js, r, b, b, k, k, 9, 8, ğ, q, 2 , y . Of these consonants b and the unvoiced b, d, ģ occur only after nasals .

Unvoiced

appears to occur especially after the

class-prefix in substantives of the n-class, e . g. mbæmbə 'Indian corn' , mbau

' cold' ,

mbindi ' seeds', mbægğæro ' lid' .

Unvoiced ģ

occurs especially after g , e . g . yğıo ' tail' , yğarayga ' small basket' , gğuru ' dog' , 'salutation ' .

ggondə

' warrior's shield', nægğera

' to give ' , gğæpı

and g are præpalatal, as in French qui, guérir. not so common as k, g, but no doubt occur.

They are

In my notes they

are used here and there , however without following any rules . -E and

are unaspirated , as in French . g is the ordinary back nasal as in Eng. ring = rig. Back 9 (voiced) is common in the language . It is formed by

the root of the tongue being articulated against the soft palace, the tip of the tongue being at the same time bent downwards , e. g. aqæqo

' tooth' , muqwandŝa ' seven' , maquta 'fat' .

Back q is to be

found in the iterative ending -aqa : ntinzúnzaqa run ' I do not drink water '.

I have been unable to find any definite rules for the use

of back g and mediopal . g. Examples of words with g : agu ' yonder ', rwag ' mosquito ' , mwærega ' the entrance of the village ' , rugoygo ' side ' , aga 'to put'. 6 is a bilabial v-sound, as in Span. probar. and

are the sounds of resp. Engl. think, that.

ΙΟ

Lindblom , A Tharaka grammar

fs is Swed. tj (in tjäna) , Ital . c in citta, with the » blade » of the tongue against the back of the teeth ; different from Eng. ch. The s-sound in Kitharaka is somewhat fronted (§), and is always preceded , at least when in intervocalic position, by voiceless d, e. g. dsugga ' to dance' , dsub ' ring' , so 'the day before yesterday' , -asægǝ ' narrow', dsudsu ' grandmother' .

Fronted în does

not exist in the language as in the dialects of Eastern Ukamba (Kitui district) : nyumba ' house' , Kitui numba. and

occur, I believe , in isolated words , and also frequently

in the diminutive and future prefixes ka-, e. g. kutu ' ear' , Fantu ' thing, object ', minta kintu kat adv. ' in the middle' .

rr ' pass me that', kari kaka ' that girl' ,

rd after n: n- class ndara < -raza

'long' ,

tiga

undigga

' don't beat me' < rigga ' to beat' . It is often hard to distinguish between r and q, d , þ, or l¹ : karamba ' cow-bell ', aro

' beans and grains of Indian corn cooked

together' , rua ' sun ' , prképra ' collect one's thoughts ' , suit' , ara ' speak', ggurwa ' boar', para ' undo'. is rather rare in the language .

qamba ' law-

The vocabulary includes

only two words beginning with 7 . 2. Omission of consonants . k is often left out in the sign of the infinitive ku-, in the pronominal

prefix ku-,

and sometimes elsewhere : (k)utą run 'to

fetch water', (k)untu (k)uku ' this place' , ( )½ntu ķēķa 'this object' , tup (k)wakwa ' let us go home to me' , kinawero (k) aku ' your snuffbox' , kana (k)a kakwa ' this child of mine ' . t is, as in Kikamba, often omitted in the negative prefix tɩ- : bu(t)ikataa run ' do not fetch water' . Back

is often quite inaudible :

(q)wa ' to hear' , ura(q)a to

kill', nurra makuṛu (< nurraga) ' do you eat eggs ?' js I have noted in a few words : fşarea 'to seek', nfsuqu ' cloven hoof' , nƒsæma ' gourd for keeping beer' , mufsægu ' thin person' . It may have been mistaken for ds. kuyu fşaria 'to seek' . 3.

Among the three semi - vowels :

Compare, however, Ki-

, w, w , the last, w , is

undoubtedly rarer than in Kikamba : aqua ' to hear' , mwua ' turret, spine' , ukawa ' if, whether' .

Among the semi-vowels should also , I

1 The same is true of Kikuyu , as far as l and

are concerned .

II

Phonological notes

think, be classed the peculiar, pointed » v-sound » , that I have found only in mu- ' arrow' and mu-a ' bellows' . cursory comparison between the consonant4.

system of the Tharaka-language points are obvious :

and Kikamba the following

A) Kitharaka also , after nasals, preserves some consonants voiceless ,

which in Kik. are changed in the same position into

voiced sounds . nest'

Kik.

E. g. antu ' human beings' : Kik. andu, ntara ' bird's-

ndala, nter

' pond' : Kik.

ndia, gğoro

ggo, gğıma ' porridge' : Kik. ggıma, mwank

' heart'

Kik.

' fire' .

B) On the other hand, voiced g, which in Kikamba occurs only after a nasal , appears in Kitharaka in other positions too , e. g. ntogo ' smoke' , gwata ' to catch ' : Kik. kwata, agu ' yonder' . C) 6 has, in Kitharaka, been dropped in a number of words , e. g.

aka ' to bedaub' : Kik . 6aka, anda ' to plant ' : Kik. 6anda,

tarka 'to vomit' (mabuti). suffix

(tabika),

na ' vigour' (6nza), mauti ' sweepings'

That is also the case with verbs derived by means of the

a from adjectives : nánea ' grow up' (Kik. næneɓa). D) For Kith. r Kik . often has s, especially before verbal

endings

a , e. g. ara ' to speak' , namaria ' to torment' , para ' to

undo' , mburra ' rhinoceros ' : Kik. asta, pasta, mbusza etc. E)

, g are found in Kitharaka,

kamba , in the words mwaki , mwaka . 5.

mwaylı

' fire'

without analogues and

mwayka

in Ki-

'year' : Kik .

The vowel-system of Kitharaka : î , †, e, œ, a , u, o, o , ɑ ;

diphthongs : az, au, ao. The rules for the frequency and position of these vowels are about the same as for the corresponding sounds in Kikamba . appears as prefix in the substantive-class III plural: Thus,

iratu ' sandals', intu ' things' . , an >> open » i as Engl . pit, appears in the prefixes of classes II plur. , III , IV sing, and in the verbal prefix ka-, e. g . minoro ' chains ', kırıma ' hill' , akæræggǝ ' trap', 6akrasima ' when they hunted'. œ is, in Kitharaka, not so open as the typical @ of the dialect alphabet, it stands between @ and e; it is , I think, Engl . e in best, French e in fête. ǝ, as in Germ . knabe, occurs as subjunctive suffix and as final vowel in a number of tense- suffixes : nasoka ' I wish I may return' , mwonira ' I saw him' . '

12

Lindblom , A Tharaka grammar

u appears in the class- and pronominal suffixes : mu-, u-, tu-, u-, 6u- . w , Norse u, between Engl. move and Swed . hus, is not included

here.

A closer investigation, however, would possibly show that it exists in the language . Cf. 3 . e , about French o in ecole, is, maybe , still rarer than in

Kikamba 6.

era ' hunger' , aeka ' the day after to- morrow' . Diphthongs

are fairly scarce, e . g. ntar ' riddle', aɓaz

' words of greeting' , mbau ' lid' , kaṛau ' calf' , mugao ' medicine-man' , ngao 'shield for boys'. 7.

Contraction

of vowels in hiatus

the contracted forms are not so Kikamba , e. g.

occurs, although

typical of the language as in

a + r > æ : nďakæra ' that warrior' , 6a6æra ' they said to them' , ndiæggi ' another pond' ; kæraggo = dem. < mwirango ' door', abægga 'he dispelled them'. a + œ > æ : ni untu 6wakamba ' it is the custom of the Akamba (< 6wa akamba). a + u > o : pr noboro 'they went from there'.

' go in peace' , nontu ' because' , baumo

a + oo: akorra ' he will extinguish'. 8. Accent. Grave , as in Swed . vallar ( » broken » melody, falling-rising) , as well as acute , as in Swed . vallen (falling melody) , are found, and the occurrence of the latter, being considerably more abundant than in Kikamba , gives to the language quite a It is particularly marked in the locative , where

different character.

Kikamba quite as regularly presents grave . pond' , mwaŋkin ' in the fire'.

E. g. nterin

' in the

The principal stress, as in Kikamba, rests as a rule on the penultima .

What has further been said concerning the accentua-

tion of the language last referred to , is undoubtedly true also of Kitharaka (vide my » Notes on the Kamba language » ) .

Inflexion.

9.

The Substantives , by their prefixes , may be divided into

9 classes . The particles denoting attributive relation are given here parallel with the prefixes . Class I. particle prefix sg.

mu-

wa

pl.

a-

6a

e. g. muture ' neighbour', pl . aturi. The plural prefix a

is quite isolated , all substantival adjuncts

taking 6a- as plural prefix. Class II. prefix musg. pl.

Mr-

particle wa za

e. g. mukanda ' strap', pl. mikanda . Note muqunda (generally pronounced munda) ' native garden ' , pl. munda or minda. Class III. prefix particle

sg. pl. The plural prefix

kr-

kra

2-, 62-

kra

- is used , when the stem of the subst . be-

gins with a consonant ; 6-, when it begins with a vowel. E. g. keronda ' wound' pl. ironda krapak ' bast crate' pl. бrapaki kintu ' thing' pl. intu kara ' finger' pl . бrara. Class IV. particle prefix 2rra sg.

pl. e. g.

ma-

ma

kuzu ' fish' , pl. makuzu. Note rantoro ' potato ' , pl . mantoro, rua ' sun'.

Here belong

also pluralia tantum , such as mauta ' fat' , mauti ' sweepings' , maṛ 'fæces', mara ' bowels ' , etc.

Lindblom , A Tharaka grammar

14 Class V.

sg. pl . e. g. mburi ' goat' . Class VI.

prefix m, n + another cons. the same Note mori ' cow' ,

sg.

prefix ru-

pl.

= pl. of cl . V.

particle ға

asra

pl . mori . particle rwa asra

e. g. ruzu 'knife ', pl . mbru. Only in sing. occurs run ' water'. Note rugo ' skin ' (of beasts), pl . ndruo . Class VII. prefix particle иwa sg.

mapl . e. g. untu ' matter, affair', pl. mantu. Class VIII dimin . prefix kasg. pl.

tu-

ma

particle ka twa

As specimens of diminutive formations may be recorded : cl. 1. kamuntu (muntu ' man ') pl. tumuntu cl. 2. kaqunda katı

tuqunda tuti

(mu(q)unda ' field ') (muti ' tree ')

kæri

twæri

cl. 3.

karima kara

turima

(mwæri ' moon') (karma ' hill ')

twara

(krara 'finger ')

cl. 4.

kátiga

tutiga

( tiga ' girl ')

karga

twiga tuburi

(nga ' stone')

cl. 5.

kaburi

kanamu or kadsamu tu-

(mburi 'goat') (namu 'beast')

kanzumba

tu-

(numba ' house')

kagombə kaúo

tugombə tuo

(nguo ' clothes, garment')

tugodsi tur

(run ' water')

twændsi

(rwænds

cl . 6. kagodsi

kandsi

(gomba ' cattle ')

(rugosi ' horn')

' razor') .

kanzwa ' mouth' , pl. tunzwa, is no diminutive form, but follows this class in its construction . Class IX .

sg . pl .

prefix ба-

ku-

particle 6a kwa

Here belongs only 6antu ' place ' , pl . kuntu ' place , region ' .

Inflexion : Substantives With kuntu tally,

15

in point of prefix , kutu ' ear' and kuru

'foot' .

The plurals of these are matu, makuru and take the same prefix as the plurals of class IV. The following vowels occur as endings in the substantives :

a: ndara ' arm ' .

a : ggoбǝ ' eylashes'

2: naswert 'hair'

: rurimi ' tongue' u: rukunzu 'nail'

0: irpo ' eye'

Note . -anǝ ' possessing' takes all substantival prefixes , but it otherwise has the same construction as a verb , e . g . mwœnə muza ' the proprietor of the so on .

IO.

village '

(not wa muṛə) .

Cl. III sg. has kena and

The Adjectives in most cases assume the same prefixes

as their substantives . 6a-, which also

Yet in class I should be noted the plural

appears in all other plural adjuncts; in class III

pl. only 62- , in class IV sg. r- and class VII sg. 6u- .

Vide 26 .

A stem beginning with a vowel in class V generally gets the prefix

mb- ,

e.

g. mbiru ' ripe '

(-aru), mbaga ' pretty' ( @ga),

mbinṛu ' soft' (-inzu), mbugı ' sharp ' (-ugi ), etc. yguo ni mbinṛu ' the garment is soft'. Note also such cases where the stem begins with r: ndara ' long' (-raza) . Special mention

Cf. 1 .

should be made of the root -r , which ex-

presses ' quantity' . E. g . antu ku 6arı ' there are plenty of people here' , mbúra kwer ' it rains much' . In run a kururi ' there is much water' it will be noted , that the root -r is preceded by two prefixes : ku ' there is' + the adjective prefix . II.

Comparison . The comparative can be expressed either

by kiri ' more than ' , or by kukuruka ' to excel' , e . g. muntu u ni munanə

kırı

uzu

' this

mutugi ukuruka antu the richest)' .

man

is bigger than that one'; gganza a

6onda

'N. N. is richer than all others (is

Note also -ang-, which is put in before the end-vowel of the adjective

and

expresses

the preceding ones alone .

a slighter degree of comparison than May be translated appropriately by ' a

trifle', ' somewhat' , e . g. muti uzu ni munænaygə kırı uzu ' this tree is a trifle taller than that one'.

Note .

This affix -ang- is probably the same as the verbal inten-

sive suffix -ga , which, for euphonic reasons , has changed into -ang- .

Lindblom , A Tharaka grammar

16

Numerals . 12 .

The Cardinals in abstract counting are:

9 kænda

І ітш 2 dsrṛr

10

kumi kumi na

mwo etc.

3 patu

II

4 inza

20 miroggwiri

5 itano

30 mirongo ipatu

6 гpandatu

40 miroggwena 50 miroggo itano and so on

7 muqwandsa 8 pranza

100 igana.

In counting aku kumi is often said for 10.

From I and in-

cluding 6 the cardinal numerals are inflexible ; 1-5 add the pronominal prefixes of the classes to the roots -mwa, ir , patu, na , -tano. -mwa occurs in plural too , and then means ' some' : 6amwə batını untu bubu ' some know nothing about that'. Vide 26. 13. The Ordinals are obtained by putting the substantive

particle before the following forms : mbæra, mayrı, mapatu , mana, matano, pandatu, etc., e. g. mwæri wa mbærə = the first month, » tpandatu = the sixth « ' Once ' is expressed by rimw6, ' twice ' by marri, ' three times ' by mapatu, etc.

The rendering

of 'how many' is -gana, which

takes the same prefix as the adjectives .

Vide 26.

Pronouns.

14.

I. pron . personale absolutum :

niu 'I'

tru 'we'

wa 'you'

бru

6u bur antu 6apuku tiniu 'it is not me'. For the further nam

'you'

' you are wicked people' .

Negative :

3rd person demonstratives are used (v. 17) .

Note

' and I' , nagwə ' and you ' (sg .) , naweu ' and he' , nabr

' and you', nabo ' and they'. 'I

only'

etc.

is expressed by -ryka : nıyka ' I only' , wayka

'you, he only' , twryka ' we only' , mwryka ' you only' .

17

Inflexion : Numerals, Pronouns

The difference between 2. and 3. sing . is, probably, the same as in the analogous wæka in Kikamba, viz. that the 2. person may be supposed to have high pitch and the 3. low.

Com-

pare cl. II : ninta mukanda uzu wugka 'just bring me that strap ' .

15.

Pron . personale conjunctum .

As subjects of verbs their forms are :

sg. n-, mb- 'I '

pl. tu- 'we' бu- ' you'

u- 'you' a-, u- 'he' Note.

6a- ' they '

I have found no rule for the use of the two prefixes of

3 sing. aprǝ nau ? ' with whom has he gone?' upra r ? ' when did he go ?' Cf. >» Notes on the Kamba language » . The object-forms are :

sg. n, ni, mb ' me'

pl. tu ' us' bu 'you'

ku 'you' mu 'him'

6a 'them '

Immediately before m the subject-prefix in I sg. is often left out : mwonirə

rukeri ' I saw him this morning ' , mamaga ' I am in

the habit of sleeping' . nængera mbak vowel :

So is the object-prefix left out before n:

' give me some tobacco ' . mb is used closely before a

(nı)mbıra

'I

know '

(< iṛə) ;

mbonṛa muza wanu ' show me

your village ' . Note forms such as : nakundigga ' he beats me ' (< rigga) . Vide 1 .

16.

As to the remaining classes, their subject- prefixes are :

CI.

2

sg. pl.

и-

3 kr-

4 ri-

2- 62-, dsr- ma-

5 (2)ds-

8

6 ru-

7 U-

ka-

9 6a-

dsr-

ma-

tu-

ku-

The object-prefixes are the same, save for cl . II, which in sg. has su and in pl. ma- . Examples : 6rondo 6iriku? ' where are the baskets ?' ntirabiona or ntiradiona ' I have not seen them '. muti uzu witawata ? ' what is the name of that tree ?' ntidsruna ' I don't know it'. ykwænda udŝzurapa ' I wish to shoot it (the lion)' . mikanda rno ni mræga, umigurǝ ' those straps are fine, buy them ' . ArchOr. Lindblom 2

18

Lindblom , A Tharaka grammar Demonstrative .

17.

'This, these ' being in form reduplica-

tions of the pronominal prefixes, are in the different classes : Cl.

I

2

sg.

u

u

pl . 6a6a (6abu) z, zno The suffix

6

Zaka

4 rrrr

5 rno

ruru

6262

mama

го

Ino

3

no I have only found in

7 bubu

8 kaka

mama tutu

9 6a kuku

no , just referred to .

' That' is formed by -ra , preceded by pronominal prefixes : 2 8 6 4 3 5 7 9 ura ura kara rrra zra rura bura kara ara

18. Cl . sg.

I

mamu

pl.

6ara

6ira

rra

mara

Fra

tura

mara

zra

kura

E. g. kuntu kura kwiri ritwa ' that region has no name' . Moreover, in cl . I-II there is unu , which in point of significance probably expresses a shorter distance than ura . Thus, in class VII , mamu is about midway between mama and mara . In many Bantu languages, including Kitharaka, the demonstratives are found in front of an adjectival adjunct, which has no analogue in English . E. g. uta bura 6wakwa 6uriku? 'where is my bow?' ninta nouka era næna ' bring the big bowl' . 19.

As a demonstrative ought further to be classed the suffix

-0 , which only occurs in connection with na (' with ') , yet with some irregularity in the singular of classes 2 , 6, 7, and in the plural of cl. 8 , where only pronominal prefixes occur. The forms are : Cl .

2

sg.

nau

3 4 nakro náro

7 nabu

nako

pl.

n20

nabro namo nadsro nadsro namo

natu

E. g.

5 піо

mundo nti na mbali ,

6 naru

8

9 no

goro ndarı no ' to-day I have

no tobacco , but yesterday I had some' (literally ' yesterday I was with it') . Further instances will be found in 24 . 20.

Possessive .

sg. -akwa my -aku your -ākǝ his

The root-forms are:

pl . -ætu

our

-ænu your -ago their

In front of these forms appear the class- particles . lute forms are alike . Vide 26 .

The abso-

Inflexion : Pronouns

19

These forms are employed only of persons in their capacity of proprietors , or, in narrative style, of animals, which are then represented as persons . Those possessives that refer to non-persons are formed by the suffix -0 , before which is put the pronominal prefix of the proprietor, preceded in its turn by the particle of the object possessed . ngo

E. g.

no ni nanə , rugo rwa-z0 ru rwæga 'that leopard is big,

its skin is fine ' ; pl . ygo

no ni nanə , naŝuo ďŝzaðsro ni mbæga .

yğıo zau (zawo) ni ndara muno ' its (the lion's ) tail' . . . mupra way (wawo) ' its top (i. e . that of the tree)' .

Attention should be called to the forms assumed by possessive pronouns,

when coupled with substantives denoting kinship , and similar things . E. g . mukwakwa ' my wife ' , murumwa ' my husband', murum@gu ' your husband', muponwa ' my father-in-law' (for mupon friend' , etc.

21.

wakwa) ,

munzaniawa

' my friend', munzaniagu 'your

The reflexive pronoun is -2, -

'to bite oneself '

(< ruma) ;

aka

(before vowels) : ruma

' to put a burden on oneself'

(< arkṛa).

22.

Relative .

As subject-prefix in

connection

with the

verb we have u-, pl . 6a- . In other cases the demonstratives in -ra E. g. do service as relatives . muntugwata kanu kakwa gkumurigga ' I'll beat anyone that takes my knife'. muzə ura ukwona kura n way? ' whose is the village you see yonder?' apoka rira ntigira mundani ' the axe I left on the field'. Cf. also e. g. antu ni bagana, 6a6a 6apetra karo? ' how many are those who have gone travelling ?'

23. Interrogative . 'Who' = u ? pl. 6au? nu? 'who is that man?' pl. antu 6a6a 6au? 'Whose' is

E. g . muntu uzu

obtained by putting the class-particle before u :

arı baba bau? ' whose are these girls ?' kekongoro bile krau? 'whose is this chair?'

rurigi ruru i rway? 'whose is that string?'

V. further 26.

20

Lindblom, A Tharaka grammar A common construction , too, is mwana uzu əğə nu ? ' whose

child is that ?' (lit. ' that child , the father is who ?') 'Who ' + preposition : wrarra nau ? ' to whom are you speaking ?' 'Which, what' (conjoint) are formed by putting a class- prefix in front of the stem -indu. E. g. muti uzu mwindu? ' what tree is that ?' pl. mati See 26.

no i mindu? tiga rire i rindu? ' what girl is that?'

'Where is, are ?' are formed by the stem -riku joined with the pronominal prefixes . E. g. akuru 6ariku ? ' where are the old men ?' See 26. The equivalent of ' what?' (absolute) is the suffix -ata. When connected with a verb it is tacked on to it : warupata ' what are you doing?' Among other interrogatives we note mbi and ke 'what ?' ni mbi ' what is the matter ?' nimbi no? 'what's that?'

ndwarimbi? ' what illness is that ?' (< ndwarı.) kikóngoro haha ka mb ? ' what kind of a chair is that ?' kr: witą ruzi na ki ? ' what do you fetch water in ?' ri ' when?' ukanuka ri? ' when shall you go home ?'

24.

Indefinite .

' All, whole'

pronominal prefixes before the root sg.

is

obtained by putting the

onda.

Note, however , cl . II.

wunda and pl . VIII tunda, pl . IX kunda .

E. g. nagkwænda

muti wundə ' I want the whole tree' , gomba asiakwa dŝonda ' all my cattle'. 'Other, others ' are formed in like manner from the root -ŋgi, e. g. muti ung arrow!'

' another tree' ; minta kano kaygı ' bring another

'Many' is expressed by the rooting , e. g. miti mingi ' many trees' . Vide 26 . 'No one,

someone '

the verb in affirmative muntu 'I see no one'.

is rendered by muntu ' human being' + or negative form respectively : ntikwona

' Something, nothing ' kintu ' thing ' ; e. g.

is rendered in the

same manner by

ntikwona kintu ' I see nothing ' . nimbi ? ' what's the matter?' ti kantu ' it is nothing '.

21

Inflexion : Pronouns muntu uzu mutúgi ?

' is that one rich ?' -- arı, atı na kintu ' no ,

he has nothing '. ' Something' in the abstract sense is rendered by untu : nfsu, ykakwira untu ' come and I will tell you something !' The forms mentioned above ( 19) also render ' none' , when the verb has the negative form : uri na kinzwero ? ' have you a snuff-box ?' nti nako ' I have none ' .

ur

na bantu (6)æga (6)a kurṛpra yombə ,

nakwa ntr no ' you have a fine place to tend your cattle in, but I have none'.

bati namo ' they have none' (bows, mata).

' Such and -na with a and

such' is

formed , as in Kikamba, from the root

class-prefix put before it.

such an

object' .

nıykup

E. g. kintu kina

' such

bantu ana ykaþærra muti muna

' I go to such and such a place to look for such and such a tree' .

25.

Some examples of the

connection

of the substantive

with its adjunct : noambu asa mati ' branches'. rurigi ruru ruraza muno ' this piece of string is very long'. akongoro 6a aka ' chairs for women'. mirigo ano ni mirito ' those loads are very heavy '. ygođsə mon nanə muno 'those horns are very big' (may also

be sing. ) . nzamu nini ' a small animal' . nramu

no nindu? ' what animal is that ?'

antu 6a6a 6anoru ' those are fat'. atur bænu bagana ' how many neighbours have you ?' atiga rere ri au ? 'whose is that girl?' mukanda wakwa uriku? ' where is my strap ?' uta 6waku bura 6unana buriku? 'where is your big bow ?' ruta brano bronda prakamı ' take all the arrows out of the quiver' . nzumba asṛa muzə ura nı nıŋg ' there are many huts in that village' . mantu ma marygı ' there are more ways than one' . (k)untu kurara ' a far-off place'. untu kunda ' the whole region ' . tuti tutu tunda ' all those little trees'.

26.

To afford a survey of the whole, the substantive classes

and the substantival adjuncts are given in the subjoined table :

22

Lindblom, A Tharaka grammar

Class subst. sg.

I muti

katugi

akuru

tugi karaza biraza

» pl. long sg.

muraza

mrti murara

pl . particle sg.

baraza

mrraza

wa

wa

6a

за wakwa etc. = cl . I sg.

»

pl.

pr. poss. my

III

II

mukuru

wakwa

waku

kra 620

IV

itiga mátiga rrraza marara rra ma

krakwa

reakwa

kraku

rraku

your his etc.

waka

krakə

rrakə

Our

watu

krætu

rrætu

your theiretc.

wanu

krænu

rrænu

wago

krago

my

6akwa

zakwa

rrago makwa

your his etc.

бaku etc.

zaku etc. = cl . V sg.

pl .

6rakwa braku etc.

maku etc.

sg. whose ?

way

wau

krau

rrau

pl.

6au

zau

brau

mau

mwindu

mwindu

kindu

rindu

6arndu

myndu

bindu

marndu

u

Fahr 6262

rrrr mama

krra

rrra

6ira, 6xu kiriku

mara, mamu ririku

6iriku

mariku rronda

sg. which? >> pl. this these

6a6a, бabu

r, zno

that

those

ura, uzu ara

ura, uzu rra

where is ?

ariku

uriku

where are?

6ariku

ariku wunda

whole all other »

pl .

bonda

гопдә

ungr baygr

kronda

monda

ungr

6ronda kaygı

rngr

brygr

mrygr

brygr

maygi marygr

many how many

бarygr bagana umwa

gana umiva

bigana kamwa

magana

one two

Gaær

rri

biri (bar )

maæri

three four

бapátu bana

patu zna

6rpatu Gina

mapátu mána

five

Gatano

rtáno

6rtano

matano

Survey of the classes VI

V

VII

23 VIII

IX

uta

karima

nrumba

rwoya mboya

mata

turima

(k) untu

ndara

ruraza

buraza

karaza

(6)araza kurara

nzumba

(6)antu

ndara

ndara

marara

za dsra

rwa

6wa

turaza ka

asra

ma

twa

(6)a kwa

zakwa

rwakwa

6wakwa

kakwa

6akwa

zaku zaka

rwaku

kaku

6aku

rwaka

6waku 6wakǝ

kaka

retu

rwætu

6wætu

kætu

6akǝ 6ætu

rænu

rwanu

6wænu

kænu

bænu

6wago makwa

kago

6ago

twakwa

kwakwa

= cl . IV pl .

twaku etc.

kwaku etc.

rago dszakwa

rwago

= cl. V pl.

asraku etc.

zau

rwau

6wau

kau

6au

asrau

mau

twan

kway

nindu

asrau rwindu

6wrndu

karndu

asrandu

dsrandu

marndu

twindu

(6)arndu kwrndu

rno , r

ruru

bubu

kaka

a (< 6a6a)

rno, r

Ino

mama

tutu

tra rra

rura zra

bura

kara

(k)uku ara

mara, mamu

tura

kura

ariku

ruriku

6arıku

ariku

buriku mariku

kariku

ariku

turiku

kuriku

ronda

rwondǝ

6wondǝ

asronda

asronds

monda

tunda

kunda

rygr

rungi

bungi

kangi

rygr

rygr

maygr

tuygr

(6)angr kungi

nrygr

nrygr dsagana rumwa

marygr

twrygr

kwrygi

magana Gumu

tugana kamwa

6amwa

dsur

maæri

twiri

kwiri

d'organa

dsur patu

nza (?) rtano

rpatu rna

mapatu mana

tupatu tuna

kupatu kuna

rtano

matano

tutano

kutano

24

Lindblo , A Tharaka grammar m

Verbs. 27. The infinitive ends in -a, 'know ' . 28 . The pre is form by sen ed the subj -pref to tht i w ith e nfinit ix ect ive The negative particle is here , as

in a few verbs in - : e . g.

addi t p n(2) - and ng he refix ku. in most tenses, tr.

Affirmative form

sg.

pl.

Negative form

gkwanda ' I plant' nukwanda 'you plant' nakwanda ' he plants '

sg.

ntikwanda utikwanda

ntukwanda ' we plant' mbukwanda ' you plant'

pl.

tutikwanda butikwanda

atıkwanda

6atıkwanda

mbakwanda ' they plant'¹

29. Future . The prefix of this tense is -ka-, and it is inserted between the subject and the stem-form . E. g . tukaanda ' we shall plant' gkaanda (ruu) ' I shall plant (to- morrow)' ukaanda ' you will plant' akaanda 'he will plant'

bukaanda ' you will plant' 6akaanda ' they will plant'

Negative : ntranda (ruu) ' I utranda ' you will not plant' etc.

30.

Past tenses .

shall

not

plant (to

morrow) ' ,

The perfect is formed , as in Kikuyu , by

means of the ending -rə : e . g. ona ' see ' , -qnırə ; -pı ' walk' , -pırə 2. Then the different tenses of the preterite are formed by adding -irə. A)

Time just past (within an hour or so) is expressed , as

in Kikamba, by the prefix a (Kik. nıtwamwona ' we have seen him just now') ; e . g. aza wa-rrru

' he came just now'

wauma ku? ' where do you come from ?' nauma kuraza ' I have come far' . The formula is : subj .-prefix + a + infinitive without ku.

B)

The action is concluded to - day (Kikamba ninimwoniə ,

' I saw him to - day) ' ; e . g.

1 n >m before bilabial .

Then 6b after m .

2 The verb mentioned last does not exist in the perfect in Kikamba .

Inflexion : Verbs

25

(nı)mwonirə ruu keri ' I saw him early this morning ; 1. pl. ntumwonira, etc. gganza apira nau ? 'with whom has N. N. gone out?' - apirǝ wayka 'he has gone alone'. gina nakwiro ' his mother has died'. napirira wera wa-ruu ker

' he just finished his work early this

morning'. Formula : n + subj . - prefix + verbal stem + irə . The action was concluded yesterday (Kikamba nininamwo̟nə ' I saw him ' [yesterday] : ndaramwonyra góro ' I saw him C)

yesterday' , turamwonirə góro ' we saw him yesterday' , etc.) ; e . g. ndaraumirə muza ' I came from home (yesterday)' . araumirə mua ' he came from home'. ndarapirira wera

goro ' I finished the work (yesterday)' .

burauragira munṛambu ' they killed a lion '. The formula of an action concluded yesterday is , then : (n +) subj .-prefix + ra + verb-stem + ṛrə .

Often the time-prefix -ra- is

out, especially in rapid speech : munṛanzawa na(r)apırə goro ' my friend went yesterday'; kikongoro kara ndagorra goro ' the chair I bought yesterday' (< gora ' buy') . Kikuyu , too , has -ra-

left

as time-prefix for 'yesterday'. D) The action was concluded previous to yesterday : wazirǝ ri? ' when did you come ?' ntara mwæri ula ung ' I came last month ' ; waziri mwæri ula uygu ' he came last month' waumirə na ku ? ' where did you come from?' (two or three days since). antu 6ombirwa ni muluggu ' men were created by God'. 6a6u akuwirə karara ' my father died long since ' .

Formula : subj .- prefix a + verb-stem + və. This tense is used also in narrative style not so often , however, as in Kikamba especially at the commencement of a narrative and in passing on to something new that carries the action forward : bapro ndur

aka

6apırə,

6ap

etc. (beginning of text 1 ) .

antu

all went to the wars' (beginning of another tale) .

31. Negative forms of past time appear to be identical for different relations of time , and are formed according to the formula subj . + tɩ (neg . ) + ra + infinitive ; e . g .

26

Lindblom , A Tharaka grammar

kwætu kweraura

mundi ' with us it did not rain to-day ' .

ari, tu(t) ramwona ' no , we did not see him (just now)' . ntiramwona kitur ' I did not see him at Kitui (several days ago)' . brondo biriku? 'where are the baskets ?' ntirabiona ' I have not seen them ' .

32.

Other forms

of past time .

The time-prefix a- is

employed, as in Kikamba, in narrative style, » narrating a » . forms are the same as those of time just past : gombo astakuwa szonda, atigara only one animal was left'. aka

6apırə ,

бapı kuta ruzi,

The

mwa turu ' all the cattle died ,

6ata, 6ӕnuka naru ' women went to

fetch water, fetched , returned home with it (text 1 ).

33. plur.

Imperative .

kara

' hold your peace !'

mbara, tell me, pl. mbarani .

kıranı idem .

The imperative, like the sub-

junctive , frequently ends in ǝ , which is easy to explain , if we consider their proximal meanings : muka ' wake him up !' Negative imperative is periphrased by means of manza or tiga 'had better not':

manza kupi ' don't go !' tigani kupi mwigka ' do not go alone !' tiga kurupogu 34.

'you had better not act that way' (< ugu ' thus ') .

The

imperatives

subjunctive ends in -ǝ.

are

connected by

bouring languages , uka,

Where in English two

» and » , Kitharaka, like the neigh-

substitutes for the latter the subjunctive ; e . g.

up ara ' get up and go over there' (lit. ' get up that you may go over there').

pini narzo, bukakərə zæmbeni ' go with it (the egg) and put it into a honey vessel ' (text 2). The future-prefix ka- occurs also in the subjunctive , especially regarding something remote in space or time , e. g. kirani

bana,

ntikaburiyga

' keep

quiet,

children,

lest

I beat

you '. þi ukaunæyğu ' go and chop wood !' bua mwayhi utikora ' blow the fire lest it go out'. As appears from the examples, the negation - particle of the subj. is also -ti-.

Inflexion : Verbs

27

35. The suffixes eta, eta or -eta (< verbs in -a) express, as in Kikamba , firstly an action that is going on, secondly one that is concluded , but the effects of which still assert themselves. E. g. antu 6apeto karo ' they are gone travelling'. antu Gamameta ' they were sleeping ' . akareta ugani antu a magka ari, raru akareta mura watu ' he lived for two years in a strange place, now he lives in our village ' . utigareta muntu umw

' one man was left ' .

mapiretiǝ wera ' they have finished working ' (< þurra). matumo makwa mazuketwa nu? ' who has taken my spears ?' muti nuweta 'the tree has toppled over' (< uqwa ' topple') . The suffix -æna has the same meaning as -æta and seems to be employed instead

of it in

bubwanœnə na bura bung

verbs

ending in -na : untu 6u6u

' this is quite the same manner as the

other' (< bwana ' be just as great as ') . like manner .

In Kikamba -ænə is used in

36. The passive voice is obtained by inserting w before the end-vowel. The fuller form -rwa is used with the prepositional verbs (vide 48 : 8 ) . E. g . rwimbo rura rwinawa ni ndaka rwitawata ? ' what is that dance called that the warriors are in the habit of dancing ?' The Bantu languages are very fond

of using the passive

voice in many cases to which our languages have no analogues . Even intransitive verbs are found in the passive , e. g. kaen kaka kakuwırırıə ni yna na po 'this boy's father and mother are dead' < kuwa ' die'. wırırwə ugu nu? ' who has told you that?' 6aturirwa matumo ni gina ' the mother forged them swords' . ndarpa kana kubwrwa ni gguo no 'look at me, (to see) if this costume suits me ' < -bwira ' suit, become' .

Auxiliary verbs . 37. >>to be » in pres . ind .: sg. nd 'I am'

ur 'you are'

ar 'he is'

nt 'I am not' ut 'you are not' at ' he is not'

28

Lindblom, A Tharaka grammar

pl.

tur

tut

' we are'

bury 'you are'

6ar

' we are not'

but you are not' 6at 'they are not'

'they are'

Note : in all persons of the present ind . » to be » can be rendered by nor only, irrespective of the subject. Past time.

I.

the action took place yesterday, time-prefix ra- : ndarı

'I was' ; turarı ' we were' ; 6ararı ' they were ' etc. negative : ntırarı ' I was not ' ; tu(t) rar

' we were not'.

2.

The action took place farther back than yesterday, timeprefix a-, negative particle -ta : narı 'I was' ntari 'I was not'

war 'you were' ari 'he was'

utarı 'you were not' atar ' he was not'

twar 'we were'

tutarı ' we were not'

mwari 'you were '

butar

6ar

6atar 'they were not'

'they were '

'you were not'

miti ino zarı mınını karara ' those trees were small long ago' . a ari muza karana ' here was a village long ago' . untu uku antu bar noækə ' here used to be many people'. munda uzu wari wakwa karara 'this field used to belong to me'. antu 6a6a 6atar

38.

atugi ' these people used not to be rich ' .

»to have »

is

formed

in the manner usual with the

Bantu languages by »to be » + na (lit. ' to be with ') : mundi batı na mbak , goro barari mo ' they have no tobacco to-day, but they had yesterday' .

39. »to be able to » is rendered by uta : ntruta kumuriyga 'I cannot beat him ' . The word for » to become» is garuka : agaruka namu ' he was transformed into an animal' .

40.

Adverbial phrases .

>>at once » : mbangærǝ kura ' I am coming at once ' . angærǝ kura, 3 pl. 6angæra kura. mbætæra kupira

wera ' I will finish my work at once' .

akuru bætærə kura ' the old men will be here presently' . I am uncertain, as to which verb is to be taken as the basis

of these phrases. » to be near, narrowly escape » may be translated by raa :

Inflexion : Adverbs

29

ndizaa kuqwa ' I had like to have fallen '. 6arızaa kwónika ' they narrowly escaped being seen' . By amba ' to begin' is rendered the idea that something must place first, before anything also may be done (first so and so , then so ) . » Then » is here rendered by a k -form. In Ki-

take

kamba there is the same procedure : mbamba kuparza wera бuбu 'let me do that first' . amba kwanda nokığı kuná yğu 'first plant, then go and chop wood' . amba in negative form is translated by

>> not yet » :

can also be

atıramba kup

' he has not gone yet' .

' Not yet'

rendered by merely the negative form of the verb :

a(t)ırakınza muza ' he has not reached the village yet' .

41. Derived verbs and their endings. I. -za is generally the causative ending : uka ' wake up ' tr. < uka id . intr.; tigara ' to leave' < tigara ' to be left'. 2. ka is the intransitive ending : ónika ' become visible ' < ona 'see'.

3.

-a is the

denominative

ending : nonea ' to grow large'

< nana ' large'; túnea ' to become red' < túna ' red'; ingia ' to become much' < iŋgi. 4. -aga is iterative : ntunzaga run 'I do not drink water'. mamaga mzundə şondə ' I am always in the habit of sleeping ' . atrandaga ' it is not his habit to plant' . makuru makaraga run 'the fish live in the water'. Very often the g is do not eat fish'.

omitted in speech : ntireṛaa makuṛu ' I

5. gga is intensitive : unayga < una 'break' ; fınṛayga ' stamp' < kinza ' tread' .

6. -na is reciprocal : ónana ' see each other' : twonanirǝ ' we have seen each other' . manana ' to hate each other' : 6akumonana muno ' they hate each other much'.

7. 8.

-ama stative : kwama ' to bow' , rungama ' to stand upright'. -era (in verbs in a it becomes -era) is a prepositional or relative ending ; it denotes the action as having relation to a person , thing, or place . E. g. ntikwænda ukwindsera ' I will not dig for you'. ntiuta kumuriyga muntu uzu, ndíngera ' I am unable to beat that one, beat him for me'.

Lindblom , A Tharaka grammar

30

tiga kuumbunera kanu kakwa ' leave off breaking my knife to pieces' (< una ' break') . ntikwændera ku? ' where am I going ?' (< anda) . ndamberia nguo ' wash the clothes for me' (< pambra). indsera katugi ' to dig down a pole in the ground' . mbokers nama ' fry the meat for me' (< okṛa ' fry') . Note the

prepositional form

of the verb in turns such as

rurigi rwa kwogera mwatu ' a piece of string for the tying-up of bee-hives' ;

muggu za kurúgera rákurea ' a pot to cook food in '

( < ruga ' cook') . Adverbs.

42.

Adverbs of time :

mundi ' to-day'

after-to-morrow, which is farther off')

goro ' yesterday' so ' the day before yesterday' ru ' to-morrow, in the morning' aoke ' the day after to-morrow' ru ker ' early in the morning' aşkǝ rira re mbærǝ 'in three days ' (lit. the one the- day43.

Adverbs

mbærǝ ' first, hand'

(k)waka ' when it was light' mupænza mwapu wara ' at noon ' utuku ' at night' (k)watuka ' when night came on' wariru 'just now' kaærı ' again '

of space :

foremost, before-

kurana 'far away' . kuku ' here, hither' : ukaza kuku

numa'afterwards' : ykupimbærə , ukara numa ' I'll go ahead

' shall you come here again?' a 'here'

ofyou, and you will come after';

agu ' there' karagu 6wæga ' sit quiet down there'

kup numa ' to go backwards' kati ' in the midst' : ka tikanumba ~ ' in the middle of the hut'

ara, kura ' yonder' akubi ' near'

wauma ku? ' where

mbari

no toro ' to the right'

do you come from ? nauma kura ' I come from over there '.

mbari

no za umopo ' to the left' .

ku? 'where?'

Many of these (6)antu

' place' .

So

» adverbs »

are properly adjuncts to kuntu,

it is with kwakwa, kwaku, kwako, kwetu ,

kwanu, kwago ' home to me , at my house , with you ' etc. kwakǝ n'akúб wakwa ' he lives close to me' . rutera rwa (ndura) ' beside (the road) ' .

Subordinate clauses

guru ' up there '. mutin nasa ' out there , outside' .

31

guru ' up in the tree' .

ndan ' inside ' : nyumba ndani ' within the house ' ; ndani za kinzwero 'within the snuff-box'.

44 .

Adverbs of manner :

mbuǝ ' rapidly '

asuǝ ' only'

muno 'very'

turu ' only'

bwaga ' well' : kwata 6wæga ' seize carefully' . up all right'. na

' badly': akúndupa na

kara 6wæga ' sit

'he treats me harshly' .

mana ' for nothing , in vain' : nukundıggera mana ' you strike me without reason' .

ugu 'so' : ambarogu ' he told me so' .

Subordinate clauses .

45.

Relative

clauses.

The demonstrative ura, ara etc. are

used as subject as well as object. The subj .- prefix of 3 sg . is only u. Otherwise no deviations from the ordinary forms : nyimbo ara dsnáwa ni aparaka ' the dances danced by the Tharaka'. The negative particle demonstrative , e. g. muntu, utaíra untu is a fool' .

bubu,

is ta, tr, which latter is used after a

ni ndiga

' who does not

know that,

muntu utakwanda, akagaruka nga ' who does not plant, becomes a poor man'. antu bara barréaga makuru ni noæka ' those who do not eat fish . are many '. mrunda see ...'

46.

no

onda ,

ra bukwona ...

Temporal clauses.

' all those

fields that you

>>When » is rendered :

I. as in Kikamba, usually by the prefix a-, the forms coin-

ciding with those of time just past. 2.

often by ka-,

which is properly conditional.

The latter

is used particularly in such clauses as are rendered in translation to English by the participial construction .

E. g.

arkuru bónika, antu bondə 6a muşə ɓakupuka ' when the Akikuyu became visible , all in the village ran away'.

kwátuga ' when it was dark' . wamwona mbṛra 'when you see him , tell me'. In this case, the a- may just as well be translated conditionally.

So also in, e . g. , wamwona, ukamukapa 'when you see him (if you see) remember me to him' .

ndarabonira 6akeroa ' I saw them fighting'. 6akinuka ' when they go home' .

Subordinate clauses

33

3. by rera: tuto rara tukanuka ' we don't know, when we shall go home ' .

Properly this is a demonstrative pronoun of the 4. class, the substantive of which is left out. The Kikamba equi-

valent is banda

la,

' point

and the antecedent , which is sometimes put in , is of time ' .

The

sentence in Kikamba runs : turṛsı

( 6nda) la tukainuka.

47.

Conditional clauses .

>> If» is rendered :

1. by the prefix a- : babu wandıgga, kwırı untu ‘ if father beats me, nobody can help it' . bara kaærı,

kabayga

' if they come for the second time, I will

dispel them' (< nga ' dispel') . 2. by kr- : 6akra 'if they come' . 3.

mbura

kura ' if it rains ' .

by wawa: wæma nukwenda mbak , nasu a ' if you want.

tobacco, come here !' Irreal » if» may be rendered by ukawa or kapırwa.

Note

that the verb of the principal clause is in the present. Ex . kæpirwa mwonira gkumunggera ' if I had seen him, I should have given him '. kæpurwa gkumwona, gkumurigga ' if I had seen him, I should have beaten him '. nti na kanzu,

ukawa ndi nako noukuneggera ' I have no knife ;

if I had one, I should have given it you '.

ArchOr. Lindblom

3

Vocabulary.

a here. ads interjection of surprise.

atırı particle used pleonastically. atuka break, burst, to .

agu there. karagu sit down there . arkia load, to.

abá word of salutation , used between men of about the same

aka paint, to . -mauta rub in with fat . aka dawn, to . akura castrate , to (cattle) .

age.

abamanaka uncle (paternal) . abu uncle (maternal) .

amba begin, to .

-@ga good, fine, beautiful.

amba pe g,, to . -rugo peg out a peg skin that it may dry. ambira repeat , to (do again ).

anda love , like , wish , to . andra sell, to . ændsa shave , to .

ntrambira kurupa u kaær I am not going to do it again . anda plant, to . anduka open , to. -mapo open the eyes . ana bleat, to . aokǝ the day after to-morrow . ara yonder. aranepa

speak with another, to

(> arra). ari no. ara speak, to . wraria nau? with whom are you speaking ? arikaba better.

-ata what? how? watawata? what is your name? (lit. ' what are you called ' ?)

atega open the mouth , to .

æra æra mupatu stir up dust . æra refuse , to . -muntu kantu refuse somebody something, to . ætela wait , to .

dsa make, hollow out, to . dsama taste , to.

asara food . -dsæga narrow. seria make for, to (< dsa). dsokra send back, to . dsudsu grandfather, grandmother (on the mother's side) . suǝ only .

suga try, to . súria hang, to . dsuria yguo ara mutini hang up the clothes in that tree yonder.

a - inzuru

35

dsuna lick, to .

gua hear, to .

sugga dance, to . dsurukia take down, to .

qaqo banana . 22 interj . of dislike . a mother ; used by a girl in speaking to her mother.

e yes . ga divide , to .

nata sweep, to . gamba croak, to . ząd know, to . gana grow, to . garuka become, to .

nga, pl. manga stone. ko, pl. 6ko spoon . indi bone.

gura buy, to . guruka descend , to . gwata catch, take hold of, to .

a come, to. akaza

? when does

he come? imper. nfsu. a pay, to .

a thing to eat). narrow drum

kar cheek. kara sit down, to . kara sit down here .

zakurra food (lit. kintu (k)¿a kurra

ambɔ long,

riri, pl. maırı place of sacrifice . -iru black.

kærægge trap for catching birds, as guinea-fowls and partridges .

with

skin at both ends ; used by the young men when dancing. @ru white. sakwa maizecob . sara fragment of calebash . utsera wash , to .

sia small species of pigeon. also the day before yesterday.

sub ring.

kara put, place , to .

koma egg. kuru fish. kundugu lizzard with red head . kurungu cave . kubitu larynx . imba thatch, to . imundi to - day .

indama bow down, to . indi but, yet.

ga put, place , lay down, to . iga

indra shut the eyes, to (mapo).

murigo ara put the load there . gamba lawsuit, action . gana hundred . g@go tooth .

indŝa dig, to. nea lump of earth .

agomba big or old bullock . goro yesterday. goti neck. agu word of salutation used between women .

guna baboon . aguru above . -wa over.

ina be soft, to . na strength, force .

inraggia spoil , to . -inangra spoilt, destroyed . mbemba ni mbiniaggia the maize is spoilt. -inu soft.

kintu kanzu

object. nauru nostril.

a

soft

blom

Lind

36

ry

aka vocabula

, A Thar

anoro whetstone .

atina buttock.

antoro potato. The Tharaka don't itu leaf. atumo spear. cultivate potatoes . atur uma ram. nuka go home, to. gga expel, drive away, to. igga close, shut, to .

pantu rain-drop .

ygea occur in great quantity, to . -igga closed .

pekepra agree to , to. peranza gather, collect, to . -mauti

iggirita roll , move by turning , to . ayko tail.

gather sweepings, to . po father (of another person than

zora hunger, famine. ara take away, to .

myself) . zpoka axe.

ara tell, to . mbıra tell me. raipa

look at

oneself,

patu cow-dung (dry) .

porn tear. to . -na

kadsidŝo look at oneself in the looking-glass (< rapa to look). raggu sinew. rau flower.

aria milk.

pua tube. puna fat piece of meat. uka shine, to . ukra take, to. -murag stick .

take the

ua feel, to . -tora be hungry, to . -mbau freeze, to. -mumero want,

riko fireplace. arimaggita the youngest children .

of the

rinza hole .

desire,

to.

-mureo be happy,

to. -murugútera

be

hot,

to .

-toro be sleepy, to . -ururu feel

ripo, pl. mapo eye. rru, pl . maru knee .

pain, to . bar arrow-poison.

ita strangle , to . ita thatch , to.

beria to perform certain obscene movements in the dance called

tara

1 ) bed ;

2) frame-work in

the garden, from which women and children frighten the birds away from the crop .

tarara python. tæma liver. tænda big foot, as of elephant, rhinoceros etc.

ter

dancing-place .

ati za karima the lower slope of a hill.

tra climb, to (a mountain). tiga young girl, not yet circumcised.

mbobor. 6wka dress, to .

kaær again, for the second time. muæri waziuka- when the new moon appears again . kacz small boy, dim . of mwezi. karau calf. kamam

waterbuck.

kana child .

kana 1 ) if; 2) or . kana lie, to .

inoro- kitumbı kanını a little.

37

kina arrive to, to . tukakinya mur ,

kanzwa, pl. tunzwa mouth. kanúmbarǝ squirrel . kara sit down, to.

drua ririku? At what time do

karara long ago .

we reach the village ? kinagga tread, to . kanero snuff-bottle .

karaipa little finger. karanga fry, roast , to .

kintu thing (concrete) . kinuku piece.

-karı alike. gganza akariata ? Who kagage crocodile . is So and So like ? kangákura elbow. kat in the middle .

kora whispering.

kapu duiker (species of antilope) . kauna waist. kænda nine .

kondo basket . krongo head, skull .

kænds , pl. twænds

razor.

kara, pl. 6ira frog. kira every.

kapaka return a greeting, to .

kira be silent, to.

kapa greet, to.

keraggo the uppermost part of the framework of the roof. kararo bridge.

kæpurwa if. ke the palm of the hand . kɩ perfectly. bra grind , to. kra mukuru one

keratu sandal , shoe. karæma scar.

of my father's karamba eyebrow. kareru beard. karia iron .

wives (not my own mother) . kama miracle. kranda stone house. krano arrow.

karia hammer.

kara finger.

karima hill, mountain .

karika firestick, the lower part.

karo journey .

karinaqa Mount Kenya.

kapalı basket, made of palm fibres .

kargga ball of strings. keronda wound .

kapu leanness. kedsunu udsuru forefinger.

karoto dream.

kakóggoro chair. kikuru calebash.

karuguma the river Tana.

kikupa sling. kakwarǝ partridge.

kirundu shadow. karubia rupee.

kılanga malia lesser bustard . kimba corpse .

katigğu stump .

kimbu cameleon . kımbupatı backwards . kında fall, to.

karumba wild cat .

katonzero

clothes

(of

European

fashion) . katug the central pole of the hut. kitumbi woman's chair.

38

lom

Lindb

a

, A Tharak

lary

vocabu

krturo shoulder.

kwa die, to .

kapaka wilderness .

kwakia at the daybreak. kwama bow down , to.

kapaggartı hedgehog. kapima well.

kwata catch, grasp , take hold of, to .

kiptu sacred object, used for taking oath and in ordeals.

kwatagga thumb , kwata).

to

(intens.
> - >>No , it is not, this is a waterbuck.

Flay it,

and let us eat. »>

They flayed the buck and ate .

Then the mother caused spears to be forged for them and brought them away with her. They dug a pit on a path and manufactured a contrivance to sit upon . Then that beast came which had devoured the village and they stabbed it with their spears . When it was about to die , it said : » Come and cut this little finger of mine ! »

They did so , and were also told to cut

the other and the little toe on both feet.

On returning later on

they found all their village had come back. May you swing yourself with the tail of a dog and I with

that of a ram !

II.

barıantu 6aombana, 6api kwa барг, mugao, had-their, went, man People assembled, went to the-medicinerkomə бwapi, 6wona » бwona, 6ærwa: -ngra , an-egg -see if-you , fortunes-told, they-were-told : » If-you-see when-you-go mukwa 6uanintə ndandsæn , burukra, bure narzo !» They-brought to the-medicome with-it ! » among-the-reeds , take, gao,

6ærwa:

pini nario,

bukækǝrǝ

æmbeni».

cine-man, were-told : >> Go with-it, that-you-may-put-it into-a-honey- vessel » . zakara ku, zanӕnea, zarutwa, гарг, rrækirwa munṛækıwas put into-a-hamperwas-taken-out, went, It-lay there , grew, kana ka karı. ni, rranánea, rratuka, zauma came-out a-child a-little-girl. used-for-keeping- corn, burst, grew, karutwa, kanægğerwa iria, kanzwa , kaba kaugea. Was-taken-out, was-given milk, drank, had-her-fill, became-intelligent. maæri. muka ærwa : » kana a kakwa wikakatuma The-wife was-told : » Child this of-mine you -must-not- send-on-errands twice . rimwa » . ukatumagǝ once. You-should-send- it

Lindblom, Kitharaka

52

na gina, katigwa rpə api mundanı, The-father went into-the-field, (the child) was-left with the-mother, kapı kakra, akatuma. uta run, kara, kærwa: »kra ! » she-sent-it. It-went to -fetch water, came, was-told : » Grind ! » It- ground , kærwa: ukaunægğu , mbipi ». uruga »pr, was-told :

>> Go , that-you-may- chop-wood,

that-you-may- cook porridge » .

kana karæga, kaumagaruka, kap ndaran , kan, kaina: » adsa, The child refused, went-away, walked on-the-road, went, sang : >> Father , mbita, mukwaku akunduma. pas rra gğondı, rrodsiriwə your-wife beats-me. I-will-go-on , I-egg of the-hartebeest, captured narume by-the-men dını the-antelopes

nasroka 6akrasima. 6odsam intu brani, things , your , I-will-return when-hunting . Take грә dsætu ». œgua, ari our» . The-father heard , he-was

pğonamong-

mundani, auka, akaon-the-field, came , he-

pagana, akona, akaurza : » n'ata ? » akæra : » бabu, tiga kumburra, met-it, saw-it, asked-it : »What? » It- said : » Father, leave-off asking-me, na maṛtu, atwṛrə kunzamarza, akamura wantiga you-me-left in-the-village with mother, she-was me-tormenting, she-toldmbrra : »pi !» ykataǝ ruz . ndap , ndata, ndara naru , me : >> Go ! » that-I-may-fetch water. I-went, I-fetched, I-came with- it, ndargaagu deposited-it-yonder

тих , in-the-village ,

ndaumagaruka ... I-went-away ...

Free translation . People assembled and repaired to the medicine -man to have their fortunes told . He said to them : » If you find an

egg

went along,

found

among the reeds, come here with it » . an

They

egg and brought it to the medicine-man ,

who said : »> Go and put it into a vessel for keeping honey » . They did so . When the egg had been there for some time , it had grown

so

much that it had to be taken out and put into such

a large hamper as is used for the keeping of corn .

Here it grew

still more, and eventually burst, a female child coming out . was given to her and she drank . Thus the girl grew up .

Milk The

man who had taken charge of her said to his wife : » This child of mine must not be sent on two errands in succession , only on one » . Then the man went into the field , the child being left at home with her mother, who sent the girl to fetch water.

Retur-

ning with that she was told to pound corn into meal . This done , the wife said : » Go and chop wood , that you may be able to make porridge » .

The child refused and came away, following the path .

Walking along the path , she sang : » Father, your wife beats me.

53

Text-specimens

Let me leave home, I, the egg of the hartebeest , captured by the men when out hunting. return home to

Take what belongs to you and let me

my antelopes » .

Her father,

from the field, went to meet her, asking :

hearing the song

>> What is the matter ? >

She answered : >> Father, don't ask. You left me at home alone with mother, who did nothing but torment me » . She told me to go for water,

and

I did

so ,

but returning home with it I

came off. ... . . .

I regret not to have taken down the remainder of the tale in Kitharaka, but my informant, being completely unwonted to such work as dictation, grew thoroughly 1 fatigued and got muddled. The close runs as follows :

The father said, he was the other side the river:

Wait, my

child, I will come over to you, and we will talk the matter over » . Stepping down into the water, he began to cross .

Then the child

said : >> Leave that, my father, I will not return to the village , I now go from where I have come » . Went headlong into the river and disappeared .

That child was a supernatural being.

Errata .

P. 5 1.7 read kirinṛaqa >> 6 1. 6 » Kikamba -na- , » n. I Hofmann , Wörterbuch

P. 17 1. 26 read Cl . 4 sg. rr. >>> 18 1. 33 >> -aka his » 21 1. 22 >> nini

not

» 24 1. 23

«

-tra:...pt 'walk'

printed (Die Evang . - Luth .

» 27 1. 7 » 28 1. 19

>> >>

zri ari

» 29 1. 18 1. 19

>>

is

Mission , Leipzig) . 5 read rďŝo.

» IO 1.

» 13 1. 19 » 14 1. 30

>> »

» 15 1. 5 » 16 1. 21

>>> »

pl . part. бra . gguo ndrara rimwa

«

d. Kamba-sprache

ygra rygr

1. 20 add (very often aqa) » 30 1. 28 read katı ka