Some adjectives, by taking no after them, become adverbs; e.g.
adjectives. adverbs. Ashiri, “new.” Ashin’no, “newly.” Son, “true.” Sonno, “truly.”
A few adjectives become adverbs by taking the word tara after them; e.g.
adjectives. adverbs. Moire, “slow.” Moire-tara, “slowly.” Ratchi, “gentle.” Ratchi-tara, “gently.”
When the letter p is suffixed to some of the simple adjectives which end in a, e, i, or o, or to any of the adjectives compounded with ne or nu, they become nouns, thus:—
simple. adjectives. nouns. Atomte, “neat.” Atomtep, “a neat thing.” Ichakkere, “dirty.” Ichakkerep, “a dirty thing.” A-ekatnu, “delicious.” A-ekatnup, “a delicious thing.” Ashkanne, “clean.” Ashkannep, “a clean thing.”
The letter p, which is here compounded with the adjectives, is a contraction of pe “a thing.” This should be carefully borne in mind lest, in construing, mistakes should arise. The p converts the adjective to which it is attached, into a concrete, not into an abstract, noun. Thus kaparap is not “thinness,” but “a thin thing;” and porop is not “largeness,” but “a large thing;” nor is wayashnup “wisdom,” but “a wise person” or “thing.”
As the other adjectives, namely a few of the simple, and all of the remaining compound adjectives, are incapable of taking the contracted form p after them, they are followed by the word in full, that is, pe softened into be, thus:—
Heikabe, “an old person.”
Kumi-ushbe, “a mouldy thing.”
Paro unbe, “an eloquent person.”
Sakanramkorobe, “a quarrelsome person.”
Tum sakbe, “a weak thing.”
