Grammar and Vocabulary of the Lau Language

er ends in a the ae sometimes contracts to e, fufue ai seed, aqale mwai ten baskets, but maae rodo, a night; also when the first noun ends in o the oe is contracted to _e_: abole ai a log, abolo a piece. This e may be added to words which have not a distinct noun termination: naoe gula the chief place.

4. Genitive relation: The genitive relation of nouns one to another is effected by the use of the propositions ni and _i_: ni is used mainly in construction: baea ni sugela deceitful words, gwai ni gwaila anointing oil; ni expresses purpose: si gula ni lea inia a place for him to go to, rosuli ni manatai gami hear us in mercy. In certain words li replaces _ni_: maalimaea enemy, maalitafa a channel in a reef; i is used also to denote purpose: lea i fasifa came to sell it. Location, which also deno