CHAPTER XVI.

THE PREPOSITION.

184. Prepositions as we know them form a small class in Balochí. This want is in part made good by a number of so-called postpositions, and in part by preposition-postpositions, that is, duplicates or pairs. The correct use of these three classes is by no means an easy matter.

185. The only cases governed by these three classes of prepositional particles are the genitive, the locative, and the ablative. For the remaining cases the addition of suffixes, the position of words in the sentence, or both, suffice to make the sense comparatively clear. With the genitive case the postposition is generally expressed, seldom left to be understood; with the locative and ablative cases the preposition is very frequently left to be understood. Especially is this so in the matter of go, with, etc., and azh, from, etc., prepositions governing the ablative. But in almost every instance of an inflected noun or pronoun the preposition or postposition omitted can be readily inferred from the context. To be sure there will occur cases where this is not so, chiefly owing to the fact that many sentences are left elliptical. The Baloch seldom employs a superfluous word.

" is a noun

Obs. What is here meant by "inflected noun or pronoun or pronoun with its suffix. There is no real inflection of the noun in Balochí.

186. In the following examples the postpositions have been given precedence; for one thing they govern the genitive case, which stands first in the order of declension, and for another they are by far the more numerous. They have been placed in alphabetical order for easy reference by the student. When used with nouns in the singular the short a denoting the genitive case

is frequently omitted, on the whole more often than not. With the genitive plural it is otherwise; the genitival ending ání is nearly always expressed. In the case of pronouns, singular and plural, the genitival endings are nearly always heard; their expression is the rule, their suppression the exception.

Andara, in, inside:

Bing-a khan kotav-a andara, put the dog in a room (the-dog make a-room-in).

Buna, under —

Haw-e drashk buna nind-ún, let us sit under this tree (this tree under let us sit).

Like daula, this postposition seldom if ever takes the inflected cases of nouns in the singular number. In the case of nouns in the plural the genitival suffix ání may be expressed, but not necessarily. The pronouns, singular and plural, require the suffixes when governed by it.

Chakha, in, with, towards, on :

Ma tha-i chakha báwar na khan-án, I shall not trust you (I thee-of on trust not shall make).

Bádsháh ma-i chakha rází bí, the king will be pleased with me (the-king me-of with pleased will be).

Ma-i gist rupiya áñ-hí chakha en, he owes me twenty rupees (me-of twenty rupees him-of on are).

Guda bádshah mihrwán bítha án-hi chakha, then the king became kindly disposed towards him (then the-king kindly became him-of on).

Nirwár wazir chakha en, the minister is responsible for justice (justice the-minister on is). (Cf. the English "it is up to you", "it is on you ".)

In the case of nouns the singular is sometimes inflected and sometimes left uninflected: e.g., esh-ía ma-i dast-dil-a chakha er-khan-eth, place it on the palm of my hand (it me-of the-hand-palm-of on place); láhor khoh chakha n-en, Lahore is not on a hill (Lahore a-hill on not is).

Zahm ki asten badshah dáigh en, it is a sword fit for a king (the-sword that is a-king fit-for is).

It is not often heard in everyday conversation.

Daula, like :

Ma-i sánga thi haw-án daula jorain, make another like that for me (me-of for another that like make).

It is not often heard.

Dema, in front of:

Án-hí dema juz-ún, let us go in front of him (him-of before let us go).

Ma-i dema juz, walk in front of me (me-of before go).

Tha-i dema án-híá drogh bastha, he has lied to you (thee-of before him-by lying has been fastened).

Gura, with:

Khas-e ki án-hí gura rauth, go áñ-híá miṛ-í, he will fight with whomsoever may go with him (whoever that him-of with may go, with him he will fight).

Gwara, with, near :—

Án-hí gwara mál báz ath, he owned much property (him-of with property much was).

Ma-i gwara mál hachí n-en, I have no property at all (me-of with property any not is).

Jágrú-ání gwara túfak-án astant, had the sentries rifles (thesentries-of with rifles were)?

Bádshah gwara wazir ne-y-ath, the king had no minister (theking with minister not was).

Láfa, in, into, inside, with :—

Af láfa kharo bith, let him stand in the water (the-water in standing let him be).

Ni ham-edha drik-a de-ún dirá láfa, let us jump into the river here and now (now even-here a-jump let us give the river into).

Ma dí áñ-hí láfa rav-án, I also shall go inside of it (I also it-of inside shall go).

Phash-ání gozhd-ání láfa áwár khuth, he used to mix it with the flesh of goats (goats-of the-flesh-of in mixed he used to make). This example is from Dames' textbook. The noun gozhd, flesh, is generally thus treated as a plural noun: khuth is the contingent perfect tense denoting habitude.

Nazí, near:

Ákhto bádsháh márí-a nazi bithagh-ún, we came and drew near to the king's palace (having-come the-king-of the-palace-of near we became).

Nazikha, near:

Shutho nishtagh-án wazir nazikha, I went and sat down near the minister (having-gone I sat down the-minister near).

Negha, to:

Ma-i negha me-y-ár-í, do not bring him to me (me-of to not bring-him).

Ma-na tha-i negha shashtátha-í, he has sent me to you (me thee-of to has been sent-by-him).

E rang-a likhetha-í wath-í bráth negha, he thus wrote to his brother (this way-in it was written-by-him himself-of thebrother to).

Nemgha, against, to :—

Bádsháh-á lashkar-e án-hí nemgha zurtha, the king has brought an army against him (the-king-by an-army him-of against has been taken).

Pha haw-án khán tha-í nemgha ákhtagh-án, for that reason I have come to you (for that reason thee-of to I have come). Ma-í nemgha wath-i dem khan, turn your face to me (me-of to thyself-of the face make).

In the singular, if the word governed be a noun, it generally remains unchanged: e.g., ma wath rav-án sardár nemgha, I shall go myself to the chief (I myself shall go the chief to). Níáñwán, in, through, between :

Khoh-ání níáñwán, among the hills (the-hills-of among). Kaizi-a bar-eth, kotav níáñwán khan-eth, take the prisoner hence, and shut him up in a room (the-prisoner take away, a-room in make (him)).

M

Ma-í níánwán chi aiv-e gindagh-en, what particular fault do you see in me (me-of in what particular fault do you see)? In this way" the e of unity" may sometimes take the place of an adjective.

Nawán án-hí níáñwán sheshan na guz-í, perhaps the needle will not go through it (perhaps it-of in the-needle not may go). Azmán-a dighár-a níáñwán, between heaven and earth. Here are two nouns in the genitive singular with suffixes attached governed by the same postposition. This is regular and in accordance with the rules for postpositions; none the less, it is rare.

It is sometimes difficult to render this postposition into idiomatic English: e.g., ma-í dil níáñwán gantrí báz eň, I am greatly worried (me-of the-heart in anxiety much is).

Sál-e-a phadha bokhta, he was released after a year (a-year-of after he was released).

Kharde rosh phadha ná-duráh bíthagh-án, I fell ill after a few days (a-few days after ill I became).

Ma-í phadha be-y-á, follow me (me-of after come).

It may be thus used with reference to time or place. (Cf. Hindi and Urdú píchhe.)

Phajía, with, along with :—

Thau di ba-rau phajía, you also go along. That is áñ-hí phajía, with him, etc., according to the context.

Randa, after

Ghorav-e ma-i randa man-agh-etha, a troop of horse was coming after me (a-troop-of-horse me-of after was coming). Nawán pith án-hí randa ba-rauth, the father may go after him (perhaps the-father him-of after may go).

Ma rawán bithagh-án avzár randa, I set out after the horseman (I going became the-horseman after).

Má rawán bíthagh-ún avzár-ání randa, we set out after the horsemen (we going became the horsemen-of after).