Ia and hia in Tahitian – Particle ia, anaphoric ia, suffix hia

In this lesson, we will learn how to use the grammatical constructions: ia (particle and anaphoric) and hia (suffix) in Tahitian.

Ia and hia in Tahitian

Ia… ia… and sometimes hia? In my opinion, in this first chapter, it is judicious to approach the theory.

Let’s come back to our subject:

• If I tell you “ia”, you will answer me?
• We have already seen this in a previous lesson.
• Correct!

Straightforward, we will learn in this lesson that it can be used in 2 ways:

• as particle ia
• as anaphoric ia

And that hia is used as a suffix.

Function	Detail	Previous lesson
Particle ia	The particle i (which is the particle of location, time, object, achievement) becomes ia: if ia is followed by a proper noun if the proper noun is in object position This particle has other functions that we will see in other lessons.	Particle I in Tahitian – Location, time, object, achievement – Ia
Anaphoric ia	Reverses the sentence structure Enable to highlight the subject Refers to a word or group of words already mentioned
The hia suffix	Hia is used as a suffix of a verb. And transforms it into the past participle of the verb	Prefixes and suffixes in Tahitian – Faa, Haa, Raa, Hia – Tei hea

The anaphoric ia in Tahitian

In this second chapter, let’s focus on the anaphoric ia that we discover in this lesson.

Little reminder :

As we learned in the lesson: Make a sentence in Tahitian – Particle I, no, na

Grammar rule: Structure of a sentence

In Tahitian, the structure is as follows: VERB + SUBJECT + COMPLEMENTExample: Tē haere nei au i te haapiiraa.

Now let’s learn the grammar rule for the anaphoric ia:

Grammar rule: Anaphoric ia

The anaphoric i inverts the structure of the sentence and ia is positioned after the complement.Basic structure: VERB + SUBJECT + COMPLEMENT Structure with the anaphoric ia: SUBJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENT + IA This anaphoric allows to: highlight the subject (which is positioned at the beginning of the sentence) refer to a word or group of words already mentioned: this reminds the subject that was mentionned at the beginning of the sentence E ‘urī teie ‘animara => Teie ‘animara, e ‘urī ia

Let’s illustrate with examples:

Tahitian	English
E ‘urī teie ‘animara	This animal is a dog
Teie ‘animara, e ‘urī ia	This animal, it is a dog
E painapo teie māa hotu	This fruit is a pineapple
Teie māa hotu, e painapo ia	This fruit, it is a pineapple
E Mere teie tamāhine	This girl is Mere
Teie tamāhine, e Mere ia	This girl, it is Mere

The already known vocabulary

The already known vocabulary is as follows, it appears in green. Grammatical constructions appear in red.

• E: The present tense in Tahitian – E, Tē…nei, Tē…ra
• Teie = This, that, these, those: This, that, these, those in Tahitian – Teie, tena, tera – Tē vai nei, tē vai ra
• The animals in Tahitian
  • ‘Urī = Dog
  • ‘Animara = Animal
• The fruits and vegetables in Tahitian
  • Painapo = Pineapple
  • Māa hotu = Fruit
• Tamāhine = Girl, daughter, niece: The family in Tahitian

Examples

In this third chapter, let’s illustrate with examples the 3 functions of our lesson:

Tahitian	English
Tē ‘imi nei au i te ‘oire no Papeete	I’m looking for the city of Papeete
Tē ‘imi nei au ia Papeete	I’m looking for Papeete
E ‘uru teie	This is a fruit of the breadfruit
Teie, e ‘uru ia	This, it is a breadfruit fruit
Herehia	Loved
Teie tamarii herehia na to na nā metua	This child loved by his parents

The already known vocabulary

The already known vocabulary is as follows, it appears in green. Grammatical constructions appear in red.

• Tē… nei, e: The present tense in Tahitian – E, Tē…nei, Tē…ra
• Au = I Introduce yourself in Tahitian – I, you, he – Vau, au – Who
•  First 30 verbs in Tahitian
  • ‘Imi = To search
  • Here = To love
• A, the in Tahitian – Te, te mau – Tāne, vahine
  • Te = A, the
  • Nā = The (dual)
    • Nā metua = The parents (in the sense, the 2 parents)
• Particle i, no, na: Make a sentence in Tahitian – Particle I, no, na
  • I = at
  • No = From
  • Na = By
• ‘Oire = City: Where are you from in Tahitian – Where are you going – Mai, atu
• Teie = This, that, these, those: This, that, these, those in Tahitian – Teie, tena, tera – Tē vai nei, tē vai ra
• The family in Tahitian
  • Tamarii = Child
  • Metua = Parent
• To na: His: My name is in Tahitian – My, your, his – To’u, ta’u

And after ?

With this lesson we have just learned how to use ia and hia.