A Grammar and Vocabulary of the Language of New Zealand.
Of the Article
Previous Section | Table of Contents | Up | Next Section
Of the Article.
The vowel e is often used as an Indefinite Article, and has the same signification as the English Article a or an. The syllable te is also often used as a Definite Article, and has the same signification as the English article the; but it should be observed, that neither of these articles can be always used according to the rules of the English Language, the idiom of the New-Zealand Language being different.
| e mánu | a bird | te mánu | the bird |
| e mára | a farm | te mára | the farm |
| e máta | a face | te máta | the face |
| e púke | a hill | te púke | the hill |
| e púte | a bag | te púke | the bag |
| e rára | a rib | te rára | the rib. |
– 9 –
Exceptions.
The Article e will not always apply to Nouns of the Singular Number, as the Indefinite Article a or an in English; but is often used before Nouns Plural.
| e púnga réu | ashes |
| e kai máodi | sweet potatoes |
| e aróhi | fern roots |
| e díma | five |
| e díma te kau | fifty |
| e máha | many in number. |
.gif)