Chapter XI: Of the Conjunctions

_Me_, _while_; _Me_ te hongi, _me_ te tangi, _and saluting, and crying_; i. e., _while saluting he is crying_.

_With_;[28] E mahi ana _me_ te whakaaro ano ki te utu, he is working,
_and_ is at the same time mindful of payment.

Inoi atu _me_ te ngakau aroha, pray _with_ a loving heart.
Haere tahi _me_ ia, went together _with_ him.

_As_; _Me_ koutou hoki i wakarere i to koutou kainga, _as_ ye also
left your country.

{ o }
_Me_ { & } mua, _as formerly_.
{ to }
_Me_ mua,[29] idem.

_As far as_; _Me_ konei, _me_ Waitemata, _as far as from here to
Waitemata_.

_If_; _Me he mea_ e pai ana, _if he is willing_. _Me_ i kahore koe,
if it had not been for you.

_Ma_, _and_, (a numeral conjunction.) vid. numerals, page 24.

_Mei_, (Waikato) _inasmuch as, as you may judge from_, (vid. _hoki_.
Same as _ina hoki_ of Ngapuhi.)

_Koia_, _therefore_; _koia_ i riri ai, _therefore was he angry_.

_Na_ and _a_. These particles are of very great use in Maori. They correspond very closely with particle _vāhv_ of Hebrew, and may be recognised in our translations as occupying the place of _and_, _then_, _therefore_, _but_, &c. Those who have not access to Professor Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon, will, we are sure, read with pleasure his remarks upon its parallel in Hebrew. "It was a part of the simplicity of ancient language to mark merely the connexion of ideas, without expressing those nice distinctions of thought, which are designated by the use of _causal_, _adversative_, _disjunctive_, and other conjunctions. The prefix _vahv_ retains this variety of signification, though other more definite conjunctions are also in use." This is precisely the case with Maori.

_Ina_, _ua_, (_ana_, Waikato) _when_; _Ina_ korero ahau, _when_ I speak.

_If_, (occasionally,) chiefly in cases in which contingency is
attached to _when_:

Ma wai e whai, _ina_ tere? _who is to follow it, (the canoe) if it
drifts?_

_Heoi_ (Ngapuhi), and heoti (Waikato), is a particle which corresponds sometimes with _a_, and _na_, in its uses. It generally, however, implies opposition, and might be translated by _but_, &c. Sometimes also, it has the meaning of _so_, _then_, and sometimes, (particularly in Waikato,) it is, in the end of sentences, redundant.

_Ara_, _and then_, &c.; e. g.,

_Ara_ te meatanga atu a Hone, _and then John replied_.

NOTE.--This particle is very often used as an adverb for videlicet, forsooth, &c.

Mo, } reira.
No, } for that cause, therefore.[30]
Na, }
Mona i tahae, _because_ he stole.
Inake ano, _Inake ano_ i kore ai e tupu, _a good reason_ indeed why
it did not grow (_thence, from that cause_.)
Ina whai ano (Waikato), idem.
Otira, }
Otiraia, }
Ia, } _but_, and _nevertheless_.
Raia, }
Atiia, (Waikato) }
Huatu, }
Kaore, and kahore, }
Tena ko tenei, } All these belong to the adversative
Tena, } (_sometimes_) } class, and denote _but_ with some
Ko, } } peculiarity however of the meaning and
E ngari, } (_sometimes_) } construction which can only be learned
E rangi, } } by practice.
E ngaro, }
E ao ia, }
Ahakoa; _although, ahakoa_ roa noa te tohe e kore e marere,
_although you importune long it will not be granted_.

NOTE.--Ahakoa will almost always precede in the sentence, e. g., The following "though we were sinners he loved us," should thus be rendered _ahakoa_ hara noa tatou arohaina ana tatou e ia.

Following are a few examples of phrases which supply the place of conjunctions:

_Ki te_ kahore e pai, _if_ he is not pleased.
_Ki te wa_ haere, _if_ you go.
_Ka pa_ nau, _if_ it had been yours.
_Ka pa tao_ (Ngapuhi) or tau (Waikato) na tatou, _if_ it had been we
that had done it.
Patu, ka aha? _If_ I beat him, what better will he be? lit. beat
him, what is (effected?)
I tika ano i a au, _titiro ana_ koe wahia iho, _I had put it all to
rights_, and you go _and break it in pieces_.
E korerotia atu ana, e whakatika mai ana, _he is spoken to, he rises
up_, i. e., _when_ I speak to him, he rises up against me.
_Pera hoki me_ Hana e whakatoi nei, _just as Hana teases_.
_Mana_ ka tika, _mana_ ka he, _even though_, (no matter whether,)
_it be right or wrong_.
Ko reira, _then_.

The particle _ai_ is very useful in supplying the place of conjunctions. (Vid. our remarks on it.)

[28] This particle will often supply a good substitute for _with_, when it denotes connexion, &c., a meaning which we believe to be but seldom expressed by _ki_. (vid. prepositions, page 55.)

[29] Some foreigners, we observe, use _me i mua_; this, however, is decidedly erroneous.

[30] The learned student will, however, notice that these words, as well as _keia_, are only prefixed to conclusions which are the _natural and necessary effect_ of a preceding proposition. For example, we might use _mo reira_, &c., in such a sentence as the following: "Men are sinners, _therefore_ men are exposed to the wrath of God:" because the preceding proposition is clearly a _cause_ of the latter.

We could not, however, use any of them in such propositions as the following: "the Tohungas are liars, _therefore_ the New Zealander listens to liars;" "the Sun shines, _therefore_ the sun is a luminous body;" "man is an animal, _therefore_ man has sensation;" because it would not be true to say, that, because the Tohunga is a liar, he is therefore listened to; because the sun shines it is luminous; or, because man is an animal he has sensation.

Wherever, then, the connection with the preceding proposition is either _accidental_ or _abstract_, we must have recourse to other words, such as _na_, _a_, _ra_, _pea_, &c., and these are largely used in our translations. (vid. Mat. 5, 37--24--42, and N. T. _passim_.)

The affirmative particles _ina_ and _ae ra_ will often supply a good substitute, and will perhaps be logically correct. For the conclusion is the proposition that we _in principio_ affirm to be true, and having proved it, we then authoritatively pronounce it to be so. (vid. our remarks on _ae_, &c., note, under adverbs of _affirmation_.)