G.—6.

I. LINGUISTIC.

A, the first letter of the New Zealand alphabet. It has two principal sounds, —(1) long, as in the English words, father, rather ; and (2) short, as in the English words, man, mat. It is sometimes interchanged for c, as in kai=kei, hai=hei, taina=teina, anei=enei, &c. Grammatically considered it is of first , , . • „ ~ „ , importance in the formation of words and sentences. _ 1 It is the termination, or last letter, of all passive verbs. 2. A, short, is prefixed to the names of persons, and to many personal pronouns, when not preceded by ho, no, mo, and to; and sometimes it is prefixed to the names of things-always when personified or bearing a person s name, as a canoe, ship &c.-and to tribes lands stars,-and to names of months and • , • T f • i • Jlaere koo ki a riemi noho ai. ■ Kawea atu tenei ki a Tamati. Na, a Mea, a Henare, he tangata pai la; a m ~ ~, , ■ or lamati he taneata knio. T7 - . „ = . , Jia rcre mai a Tamui, a ka v. ~ t, . . tt i. -i ■■■•ii E tangi ana a Hue ki a ia, ka rrpi npia ka toe- I. ' , s " Ka whakaatu ako i a Kaukaumatua.. Ka rapua a Kaukaumatua" (a stone earring).— Myth. p. 78. , ~ , . Ko to putakp tenei i riro mai ai « Maneakahia ki au, kotehuru. Kuatae maio autuM, ituhiaekoe'i aHurae, i a Akuhata, i a Hepeteina ano hoki. 3. A, long, is prefixed to names of persons, to living things, and to personal [ pronouns, to form the possessive case j plural. {See O.) Nga kuri a Hoani. Nga kai ate poaka. A maa,ua patu. A ratou kai. Haero ana ratou ki to whawhai, tenei liapu tenei hapu o ratou; i a ratou ano a ratou pu, a ratou tao, a ratou rakau. 4. A, long, is also prefixed to names of persons, to living things, and to personal pronouns, to give the substantive Or verbal noun, following or preceding, an active meaning. I kite ano ahau i te patunga a Hoani i tena kuri- . .. I pera hoki te ahunga ibo a nga kaophi, me ta ■ te taliae ua hopukia. Katahi ka patua i te tirohanga raai a nga tangata. _ _ E kore ahau c neke l te pehanga a te wax, a te whakah.ee. _ .... Eta, ka putake term a o matou nei tipuna ki Heretaunga. I niii te korero a te Hapuku: ko.a ano te rin a taua tangata ! 5. A, long, is also prefixed to all . proper and common names ot men and women, and to pronouns, whenever the

noun immediately preceding is that of any article of food, or of any implement or utensil for obtaining and preparing food, or of anyplace or thing for storing food, or of fire and firing for cooking food, or of any implement of war, to he Lised by them. {See A, prep, of.) Ko te pu a Hoani tena. c P at'u ? Me'> . . leneito kete 1 Tigaro a taku hoa. Te konua paku «te wahine tenei. ' Q. A, long, is prefixed to the definite artide imme aiately preceding the noun an( j Y Qvbdl noun, "and aiso to possessive pron(mnSj to give a future meaning. - Meate ano ahau tae atu ki kona a nga ra 0 Tihema nei. 'Ko a te tau koroi koe kite ai. * ""* * <*" t A ]( ig aigo flxed to r and common names o f men and women, and to personal pronounSj to show the natural relationship downwards. -~ ~. v ti, • l-i i r, a tal?ariki. a Hoani-John s own children. Kahore he uri « tena tangata i toe y taona ai Luiiui a lakaha na 1. Poet. 220. „ „ T^ . „ , _. . Ko wai koe P Ko au ko lauhou. Ka vi atu r|l , „ ,„ T , ano ia, Taunou a wai r lauhou a Ira; ko ' ia atu. 8. A, long, is also prefixed to adverbs of time to give them a future meaning, as a mua, a muri; and to adverbs of -, .... , place, as a konei, a konaa, a koo, a reira; and to prepositions of place, as a runga, a raro, a waho, a roto, for intensification and emphasis; and in a very f ew instances to nouns, as a uta; poss ibly, in some instances, for euphony :— Ka hoe matou ka hua c kore a uta c taea atu. Penei hold c rere ana, ahiahi rawa ake ka taea a uta. Ka hoe raua ki to moana, a tawhiti noa, ka ngaro a uta. Ina hoki, i wehea atu te moana mo nga ika, i wehea mai " uta mo te tangata. A, adv. part., when A"" t^ J' ari ° taua tangata a taua kiteDga J a HeUcaraida i to ratou waka a te putauga mai o te hau. Maau ano c man mai a to haeretanga mai. —and then Naau k » c kore c i; j mea atu ahau Ileoi Kg koj 1K)ho nga iyf^ a whakarongo ki aai)a patipati. He w |, ak ., it!lkariri nokU; moO na, i haere tona ingoa, niohio, a tukua ana c ia tona kaha ki ra ° 0 jjj p e j ia taaua noi ki tahaki, a taukini-kini, a taurakuraku. Fort., 172. ,-. K ™ mntil t0 tai? Ac A maaku tenei patn i A, aha ana koe ?

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