LESSON V Interrogatives, and Negatives

Va° (否) is used as the sign of a direct question, expecting the answer “yes” or “no.” It is added at the end of the sentence. Thus di°-kuh °z noong° kuh va°? (第個是儂個否) means, “is this yours?” Di°-kuh °hau va°? (第個好否) means, “is this good?” (the verb °z being omitted). The Chinese do not use a rising inflection of the voice to indicate that a question is being asked.

Meh (末) is used for asking a question when the action is presumed to have been completed. Thus van° chuh meh? (飯吃末) means, “have you eaten your rice?” or “have you dined?” Sien-sang chi° meh? (先生去末) means, “has the teacher gone?”

Nyi (呢) is used for asking a question implying the alternative. Thus noong° chi° nyi ’veh chi°? (儂去呢勿去) means, “are you going or not going?” noong° le nyi ’veh le? (儂來呢勿來) means, “are you coming or not coming?”

Nyi (呢) is also used in a question expecting a negative answer, but the explanation of this must be reserved until later.

“Who” is sa° (啥). In this sense it is always joined to the noun nyung (人). Thus sa° nyung? (啥人) means, “who?” Pidgin English, “who man?”

Sa° (啥) is also used in the sense of “what.” It sometimes precedes the noun as sa° sang-i°? (啥生意). “what business?” In a sentence like “what do you want,” it follows the verb. Thus noong° iau° sa° (儂要啥). Literally, “you want what?”

Sa° is also used with va° in the sense of “any,” in asking a question, Thus noong° iau° sa° va°? (儂要啥否) means, “do you want anything?” °Yeu sa° nyung iau° chi° va°? (有啥人要去否) means, “does any one wish to go?” Noong° °yeu sa° doong-dien va°? (儂有啥銅錢否) means, “have you any cash?”

Which is °‘a-°li (那裏). It is always used with numeral and classifier. Thus °‘a-°li ih kuh nyung? (那裏一個人) means, “which man?” °‘A-°li ih diau loo°? (那裏一條路) means, “which road?” °‘A-°li ih °pung su? (那裏一本書 ) means, “which book?” °‘A-°li °liang °po tau? (那裏兩把刀) means, “which two knives?” When the subject is understood about which you are conversing, the noun may be omitted, and °‘a-°li with the numeral and the classifier are sufficient. Thus in speaking of roads °‘a-°li ih diao? would be enough.

“No” or “not”, is expressed by ’veh (勿). Thus yi ’veh iau° chi° (伊勿要去) means, “he does not wish to go.”

M-meh (無末) is used in the sense of “not any” in answering a question asking whether you have any, thus noong° °yeu sa° yang-dien va°? (儂有啥洋錢否) “have you any dollars?”, the answer might be m-meh.

Sometimes m-sa° (無啥) is used in answering questions in the negative. Thus noong° °yeu sa° tsoo° va°? (儂有啥做否) “have you anything to do?” (Have you any employment?) The answer might be m-sa° tsoo° (無啥做) “not anything to do.”

No one is m-sa°-nyung (無啥人). Thus °yeu sa° nyung le va°? (有啥人來否), “has any one come?” The answer might be m-sa° nyung (無啥人).

VOCABULARY

Rice (growing), °dau 稻.

Rice (uncooked), °mi 米.

Rice (cooked), van° 飯.

A hat, cap or bonnet. ih °ting mau°-°ts 一頂帽子 or ih tsak mau°-°ts 一隻帽子.

A carpenter, ih kuh mok-ziang° 一個木匠. Lit. Wood worker.

A hand, ih tsak °seu 一隻手.

A foot, ih tsak kyak 一隻脚.

Kung (根) Is the classifier denoting objects long and generally stiff.

A cane or stick, ih kung °baung 一根棒.

Zoo° (座) is the classifier for hills and buildings.

A house, ih zoo° vaung-°ts 一座房子. (Sometimes ih zak vaung-°ts 一宅)

Sen° (扇) is the classifier for broad objects.

A door, ih sen° mung 一扇門.

To eat, eats, eat, chuh 吃.

To invite, invites, invite, °tshing 請. (Also used in the sense of please, when making a request of any one).

To take, tan (擔) or nau (拿).

To call, calls, call, kyau° 叫.

To open, opens, open, khe 開.

To shut, shuts, shut, kwan 關.

To do, does, perform, make, tsoo° 做.

To enter, enters, come in, tsing° 進.

EXERCISES

(Translated into English)

(1) I-kuh sien-sang van° chuh meh?

(2) °Ngoo iau° °tshing ih we° sien-sang.

(3) Khe khe mung.

(4) Di°-kuh kyau° sa°?

(5) Kwan mung.

(6) Di°-°pung su sa° nyung tan-le kuh?

(7) °‘A-°li kung °baung °z noong°-kuh?

(8) °‘A-°li ih zoo° vaung-°ts °z i-kuh?

(9) Sa° nyung tan-chi° kuh?

(10) Nyung °yeu °liang tsak °seu, °liang tsak kyak.

(11) Noong° °yeu sa° sang-i° tsoo° va°?

(12) Ngoo m-sa° sang-i° tsoo°.

(13) Noong° kyau° sa°?

(14) °Yeu sa° nyung tsing°-le va°? M-sa° nyung.

(15) Noong° mau°-°ts °yeu va°? M-meh.

(一) 伊個先生飯吃末?

(二) 我要請一位先生.

(三) 開開門.

(四) 第個叫啥?

(五) 關門.

(六) 第本書啥人担來個?

(七) 那裡一根棒是儂個?

(八) 那裡一座房子是伊個?

(九) 啥人擔去個?

(十) 人有兩隻手兩隻脚.

(十一) 儂有啥生意做否?

(十二) 我無啥生意做.

(十三) 儂叫啥?

(十四) 有啥人進來啥? 無啥人.

(十五) 儂帽子有否? 無末.

(Translated into Chinese)

(1) Have the children eaten their rice?

(2) Which cow is yours?

(3) Which bird is black?

(4) Bring the hot water.

(5) Bring the boiling water.

(6) Please come in.

(7) Who did it?

(8) Who brought it?

(9) Who took it away?

(10) Who wants it?

(11) Who entered?

(12) Who opened the door?

(13) Who shut the door?

(14) Which table is yours?

(15) What do you want?

(16) Have you anything to eat?

(17) I have nothing to eat.

(18) Have you any oranges?

(19) I have.

(20) I have none.

(一) 小囝飯吃末?

(二) 那裡一隻牛是儂個?

(三) 那裡一隻鳥是黑個?

(四) 担熱水來.

(五) 担開水來.

(六) 請進來.

(七) 啥人做個?

(八) 啥人擔來個?

(九) 啥人擔去個?

(十) 啥人要個?

(十一) 啥人進來個?

(十二) 啥人開門?

(十三) 啥人關門?

(十四) 那裡一隻檯子是儂個?

(十五) 儂要啥?

(十六) 儂有啥吃否?

(十七) 無啥吃

(十八) 儂有啥橘子否?

(十九) 有個

(二十) 無末

Notes.

（1) Note the difference between °tshing (請), kyau° (叫) and han° (喊). °Tshing is used in speaking to an equal or to a superior. Kyau° in speaking to a servant. Han° in even more curt than kyau°. Thus °tshing yi le (請伊來) means, “invite him to come,” and is the polite form of speech if you wish an equal to come to you. Kyau° yi le (叫伊來) or han° yi le (喊伊來) would be used if you tell some one to call your servant or a workman to you.

（2) Notice the repetition of the khe (開) in the third sentence of the first exercise. This makes it more emphatic.

（3) The verbs tan (擔) “take” and le (來) “come” are often used together in the sense of “bring.” Literally “take-come.” So also with tan (擔) and chi° (去); this means, “Take away.” Literally “Take-go.” Sometimes the tan and the le, and the tan and the chi° are separated from one another by other words in the sentence. Thus tan su le (擔書來) means “bring the books.” The above remarks also hold true of nau.

（4) In the sixth sentence of the first exercise the words °di-°pung su stand first. This is because they are emphatic. It is difficult to give any hard and fast rule in regard to the order of words in a Chinese sentence, but generally speaking, we may say that the most emphatic word is placed first. In this sentence it is the book which is being talked about, and so it occurs first.

（5) The words in the thirteenth sentence of the first exercise would only be addressed to a servant or to a child. “What are you called?” means, “what is your name?” not “what is your surname?”

(5) In polite phraseology, in speaking to a person the pronoun noong° is never employed. The third person is used instead of the second. To ask your teacher his name, you would say Tsung sing°? (尊姓), which means, “what is your honorable name?” (surname). If you wish to inquire further as to his other name, you would say °tshing kyau° da° ‘au? (請叫大號) which means, “please tell me your great official name?” The requirements of etiquette as to the use of words will be explained later somewhat fully.

（6) In the fifth sentence of the second exercise, the expression boiling water is used. For this the words khe (開) “open,” and °s (水) “water” are used. It signifies that boiling water is open water on account of the bubbles which proceed from it.