Page:An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language).djvu/649

§ II. COMPOUND ADJECTIVES.

The compound adjectives end in an, koro, ne, nei, o, sak, tek, un, ush. Thus:—

Kera an, “sweet.”
Haro koro, “fat.”
Ashkanne, “clean.”
Wayashnu, “wise.”
Ki-o, “lousy.”
Ramu-sak, “foolish.”
Nuchaktek, “merry.”
Paro-un, “eloquent.”
Kem-ush, “bloody.”

Other adjectives appear to be transitive verbs rendered intransitive by prefixing shi to them, which particle gives them a reflexive force. Thus:—

Maka, “to open.”	Shimaka, “opened;” “cleared away.”
Noye, “to twist.”	Shinoye, “twisted.”
Pirasa, “to spread out.”	Shipirasa, “spread out.”

Some adjectives are simply transitive verbs rendered into the passive voice or past tense by having the particle chi prefixed to them. Thus:—

Ama, “to place.”	Chiama, “placed.”
Kuba, “to bite.”	Chikuba, “bitten.”
Pereba, “to cleave.”	Chipereba, “cleft.”
Tereke, “to jump.”	Chitereke, “jumped.”
Ye, “to say.”	Chiye, “spoken.”

Adjectives may be made plural if necessary by suffixing the ordinary plural particle pa to them. Thus:—

singular.	plural.
Pirika, “good,”	Pirikapa, “good.”
Wen, “bad,”	Wenpa, “bad.”
Pon, “small,”	Ponpa, “small.”
Harokoro, “fat,”	Harokoropa, “fat.”

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