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*  (2) sharp (of smells, e.g. of
* urine); cf. taĩtaĩ [ ˩ ˩ ].
*te [ ˥ ] an auxiliary verb indicating
* (1) that something was going on
* or was in a certain state in the
* past but implying that the end
* of the action was not attained,
* or that the state referred to is
* no longer existing; ɔtema [ ˩ ˥ / ]
* it was good (but it is no longer
* so); itewu [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] I was dying, viz.
* ʋ-uhuʋ̃u ni amu ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ / ˩ / ˩ ˥ ]
* “(always) when that illness
* attacked me”. This leads to the
* meanings “nearly”, e.g. in itewu
* [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] I nearly died, and “mis-
* takenly”: utew-ɛr-eʋa-nwa (re
* [ ˥ ], enwa [ ˩ \ ]) [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˩ \ ] “you
* were mistaken in saying: he is
* not there now”. (2) that the
* action of the verb to which it
* is linked follows another action
* (“before”); imi-ɔɛ̃, (ʋ-)ɔtekpaɔ
* [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ \ / ] I saw him before he
* had left; imi-ɔ̃‿ɛ̃dɛgbegbe, (ʋ-)
* ɔteɣaxiã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] I see him
* every day before he leaves.
*te [ / ] to decorate; t-ɛɽe [ / ˩ ]
* decorate it! ɔt(e)‿owa [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he is
* decorating the house; ɔt-egbe
* [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he is decorating himself
* (“the body”).
*t-ẽgbe [ ˩ ˥ ] mu [ ˥ ]; cf. tɔ̃ 4 [ ˥ ].
*teitei [ ˦ ˦ ] imitates the beating of
* pulses (generally with fear); in
* the case of the tortoise, leilei [ ˦ ˦ ]
* is used (in stories) (the i is
* long); v. afĩama [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].
*tete [ ˩ ˥ ] to save, to be economical
* with something; tet-ɛe [ ˩ \ ] save
* it! Ozo, tet-inya n-iviɔ nwɛ ni n-
* ɔmi-eke nay-usɛ̃ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ / / / ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˦ ]
* Ojo, be economical with the
* yams I brought you so that they
* will last ( “get a chance to last”)
* for five days!