nouns and pronouns: “and”;
Ozo keʋ-aʋ̃-ɔ̃ɽ̃ɛ̃ xiã sĩsĩʋ̃usĩ
[ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] Ojo and his wife
have gone since some time; cf.
ke [ ˥ ], ʋe [ / ], ʋe [ ˥ ].
k-eʋ̃a [ ˩ \ ]; cf. ke 1 [ ˥ ] and ke 3 [ ˥ ].
k-ewu [ ˩ ˥ ]; cf. ke 1 [ / ].
kɛ 1 [ / ] to remain; to be left; also
kɛ [ / ] re [ ˥ ]; ema ni kɛ re
[ ˩ / ˦ / ˦ ] that fufu is left over,
remains, kɛ xerhe kɛ xerhe [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˥ ]
nearly; lit. “remains little”, cf.
Pidgin “lef small”. ɛdɛ kɛɽe o
[ ˩ ˥ / ˩ ˩ ] an old greeting, used by
old men and chiefs, its being
obsolete making it the more
distinguished: good night!
(“day is left”, viz. a little).
The numbers beginning with
(e)k-, as e.g. (e)kesugie [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ],
(e)kigbesiyisɛ̃ [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˦ ], seem to be
derived from sentences like “it
remains (five) reach (sɛ [ ˥ ])
twenty”, “it remains ten reach
a hundred”.
kɛ(e) 2 [ / ] (1) to be quick; ɔkɛ
ɽuɛ gbe [ ˩ / / ˦ ] “it is too quick
to (with) you”: you do it too
quickly; obɔ kɛɽe ʋ-inwina ni nɛ
[ ˩ ˥ / ˩ ˩ ˩ / ˦ (3-1) ] “has the hand been
quick in that work already?”:
is that work already finished?
(short: obɔ kɛ nɛ ɽa [ ˩ ˥ / (4-1) ˩ ]).
This phrase is used when asking
in the presence of strangers
whether food has already been
prepared; a more direct re-
ference to food would be im-
polite. (2) it is used in a
causative sense, meaning some-
thing like “to hurry somebody”,
in the following construction:
ɔk-ɔɽe ɽu‿ɛe nɛ, makes-eʋa (sɛ
[ ˥ ]) [ ˩ / ˦ ˦ (4-1) ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ \ ] “it hurried
him on to do it (already), and
