dance” (to a small child); cf. ɣeɣe
[ / / ]; uɣe [ ˩ ˥ ]; uɣegbe [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].
ɣeɣe [ / / ] to see unexpectedly
(v. A. Biogr.); cf. ɣe [ / ].
ɣɛ [ ˥ ] particle used in the negative
imperative and subjunctive;
ɣɛɽu‿ɛe [ ˥ ˦ (4-1) ] don’t do it! ɣɛyo
[ ˥ (4-1) ] don’t go!
ɣɛ 1 [ / ] to fornicate; cf. oɣɛɛ [ ˩ ˩ ].
ɣɛ 2 [ / ] to feed; occurs in
Ɔxwahɛ [ ˩ / ˩ ] song 7; also in
t-uɽami-egbe ya ɣ-ɔɽe [ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ / ˩ ]
lit. “may you get body to (take)
feed it”: may you be fit to
bring it (a child) up properly!
(a blessing given to a woman
after delivery, like ɔm-ɔɣɔ [ ˩ \ ˩ ]).
ɣɛɣɛ [ ˩ ˥ ] half-way; incompletely
(occurs in a proverb).
ɣɛɽɛɣɛɽɛɣɛɽɛ [ ˦ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] describes a
stealthy way of walking like
that of a spy, with varying
speed and frequent looking
round; ɔxiã ɣɛɽɛɣɛɽɛɣɛɽɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ]
he walks like a spy.
ɣi an auxiliary used in several
ways, especially (1) following
the auxiliary ke [ ˥ ] which links
up facts (“and then...”); ɔke-
ɣiɽu‿ɛe [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˥ \ ] “and he was
doing it”; ɔkeɣiɽu‿ɛe [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ \ ]
“and then he did it”. (2) in
temporal clauses: ɔɣis-eʋa (sɛ
[ ˥ ]) [ ˩ \ ˩ \ ] or [ ˩ ˥ ˩ \ ] “when
he had arrived there.” (3) in the
apodosis of a conditional period.
(4) after a negation, meaning
“no longer”: ɛɣiɽu‿ɛe [ / ˥ ˥ \ ]
he no longer does it; cf. ɣu.
ɣidiɣidi [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] big (of parts of the
body, like arms and calves,
thighs); occasionally gidigidi is
said to be heard, which is
wrong; ɔye ɣidiɣidi [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] it is
big.
