Note 4 — SINHALESE TEXTS OF STORIES

One of the commonest forms of the conjunction “and” is ignored by the grammars. In these stories there are many hundreds of instances in which “and” is represented by the particle yi or uyi, suffixed to each conjoined word. When the word ends in a vowel, yi is suffixed; when it terminates in a consonant, uyi, the pronunciation of this being practically wi. Some examples have been given in the stories; a few others are:—gætayi geḍiyi maluyi, immature fruits and [ripe] fruits and flowers; heṭṭiyāge wālaṭayi heṭṭiyāṭayi, to the heṭṭiyā’s slave and the heṭṭiyā; kolayi potuyi, leaves and bark; minihayi gǣniyi ē bælliyi, the man and woman and the bitch; mōl­gahayi wangeḍiyayi kurahan-galayi bereyi, the rice pestle and rice mortar and millet stone (quern) and tom-tom; rilawayi pæṭiyayi ammayi, the monkey and youngster and [his] mother; talayi aluyi, sesame and ashes; udēṭayi hǣndǣwaṭayi, in the morning and evening; yanawayi enawayi [they] are going and coming; duwekuyi putekuyi, a daughter and a son; girawekuyi, ballekuyi, balalekuyi, a parrot and a dog and a cat; akkayi māyi, elder sister and I; um̆bayi mamayi, you and I,—(but tīt4 māt, thou and I).