Page:Hausa Proverbs.djvu/114

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I C2 Provt-H^J' in the Ilai/sa Lariguage UNUSUAL FORMS IX VERBS. There are two words in common use which are somewhat different from other verbal forms in that the personal pronouns are placed after the verb. These are jeka and ijaka^ meaning go and come respectively. The true explanation of this anomaly is, I think, that what appears to be a personal pronoun is, in reality, not so : or at any rate the word is borrowed from another language. Yoka, the Soughai word for come is A:«, and yaka is probably derived from this. Jeka the Bolewa for go is jikho. This word jeha is, possibly, a reminiscence of a time when Hausa was closely connected with this language. 1. SYSTEM OF NUMERATION. Among uncultivated races the formation of the numerals on a base of ten rather than on one of five is usually held to be an indication of a higher degree of civilization. The numerals of the two principal neighbours of Hausa, viz. Songhai and Kanuri, have a base of ten, and it is always assumed that the Hausa base is the same. To all intents and purposes this is so, but it was originally five and has only gradually developed into one of ten. In order to show that there is some foundation for