The Isizulu. A grammar of the Zulu language;

Front matter

CORNELL

UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY

Preface

About to leave New England for Natal, in 1846, I tried in various ways and places to find something on the language of the people— the Amazulu--among whom I was hoping soon to labor. A few Kafir words, from the writings of travelers, in defective orthography, and a few remarks and examples in Kay's Researches, comprised the result of my efforts. Arriving here, I renewed my search, and found a brief grammatical outline prepared by Dr. Adams, amounting to some three or four dozen pages in manuscript; which, with Boyce's Grammar of the Kafir Language, was all that could be found, at that time, in Natal. And yet, not all; for here were older missionaries, ready to answer many practical questions; and here, too, were the natives themselves, by hundreds and thousands, all expert in the use of their own tongue. To these I at once applied myself ; and, from that Jkne to the present, both as a source of pleasure, and from a sense orcluty, I have made the study of language, and especially the language of this people, a part of my pursuit.

Nor was I disappointed in finding my way beset with many difficulties. Without an interpreter ; without any thing that could be called a grammar of the language ; with only a small vocabulary, written in a singular, insufficient, inappropriate alphabet; and among a people alike ignorant and destitute, not only of a grammar, but also of all those terms — nouns and verbs, number and person, mode and tense, roots and formatives, vowels and consonants — of which the student and author of grammar needs to make most frequent use; moreover, without a page, without a single sentence, of genuine vernacular composition, with which to commence the study of their own tongue in its purity, — it was evident, from the first, that an attempt to analyze their language, and reduce its elements and forms to a complete system, would require much time, and hard, patient study. Nor yet was it less evident that such an attempt must be made. If the heathen tribes dwelling in the district of Natal, Emampondwem, Kwa Zulu, and in regions beyond, were to be taught to read, and have the Scriptures in their own tongue, — the first of steps, as well towards a useful, worthy, enduring civilization, as towards an intelligent, living Christianity, — then their teachers must know their language, both how to speak it with ease and fluency, and how to write it with readiness and accuracy.

A good grammar and dictionary of a language are among the things of first importance to a Mission among heathen tribes. But wars and changes, and the generally unsettled state of the country, gave neither encouragement nor opportunity to undertake the attainment of these things, during the first ten years of missionary labor in this part of Africa. At length, peace and order being enjoyed, our Mission also

IV PREFACE.

being enlarged and more established, at a meeting held by the same, December, 1849, it was resolved that the writer and Rev. J. C. Bryant, in connection with the Rev. Mr. Posselt of the Berlin Mission, be a committee to prepare a Zulu Grammar for the press. I regret to say, however, that I was not able to avail myself of the valuable assistance which these devoted Zulu scholars were admirably qualified to render. Mr. Bryant was soon called away by death ; and Mr. Posselt, who was then laboring " at the Drakenberg," on the extreme border of the Colony, wished the author to go on with the work without him. Writing me from the Drakenberg, October, 1 852, he says : — -

"Your letter of the 23d of last month I have received; but it has found me quite unprepared for that work to which you call my attention. Not, that 1 am not daily studying the Kafir [Zulu] language, and trying to add a little more to at least my dictionary; but I say, for a grammar as you propose, I am quite unprepared.

"According to my opinion, I am convinced that a grammar can be the work of only one person. If more are at work, it will either lose its necessary feature of having one cast, or it will never be finished. If we were living so close to each other as to make consultation easy, then I might be of some assistance to you; but at such a distance, what can I do to help you ? Set to work, you alone, and show us all at once the measure of your Jmowledge and of your ignorance, without fear and shame, and a graMnar will soon make its appearance. But if you at first go round about and get our various opinions on the subject, then, my brother, our great learning and wonderful wisdom will choke you. This calling in the assistance of the brethren, in writing on and in the Kafir language, is calling in so many opponents ; and for this reason it is that we have nothing printed for our congregations, except a few little sheets. Now, if I had a press, and paper, and a printer, I would drown you all with my publications, and would not be ashamed of their defects, — knowing well that first comes the rooter-and-digger-up, and then the leveler. A man writing in Kafir can scarcely have any other object in view than to be useful in matters which are so very much needed. Well, a grammar we want, and a spelling-book, and the Bible, and a hymn-book. Now, commence at once, — you have learning enough, and knowledge enough of the language; but your skin is still too tender, and you fear our stings. For these do not care !

"I hope, dear brother, you understand my way of expressing my opinions, and take all in the good brotherly humor with which I write ; for I know, however grave the face which the Yankees may have, they do not object to a little German pleasantry."

Accordingly, about the middle of 1853, our Mission requested the writer alone "to prepare a grammar of the native language;" and not long after, a similar request was made by a Commission of the local Government, of which I had the honor to be a member. The Zulu Grammar, now offered to the public, is the result of these appointments. The work is none the worse for having been long in hand; neither would it be of any particular interest to the public to enumerate the causes which have delayed the completion till the present time. Having written it at intervals amid the labor of teaching, preaching, and translating, I have naturally embodied the result of investigations which I felt com-

PREFACE. V

pelled to make for my own guidance. As a preparation, and a basis for the work, not a little time, and attention have been given to the collecting of materials. Nothing could be done towards writing a genuine Zulu Grammar without a genuine Zulu literature. ' What is wanted and expected of a grammar,' as the writer has said in another place, ' is, that it give a clear statement and correct illustration of the forms and principles, the genius and idioms, of the language of which it treats. Hence, most of my examples, especially those of any length and particular importance, as in Syntax, which makes a large part of the work, have been taken, not from a foreigner's translation of other languages into this, but, in some instances, from the correspondence and other compositions of the natives, in their own tongue ; though chiefly from their conversation and discussions, narratives and speeches, on affairs of their own and of deepest interest to themselves, — their words and sentences being caught at the time they were spoken, and written out verbatim et literatim from the lips of the speaker.'

As a means of enabling the Zulu scholar to prosecute his studies, and make himself familiar with the laws, genius, and idioms of the language, to a greater extent than would be possible from a perusal of isolated examples, I have made a selection of pieces, of a diversified, continuous character, from the manuscript literature on which the Grammar is founded; and have had these pieces printed as an Appendix. Taken, as they are, from sketches obtained from the more intelligent, though, for the most part, utterly heathen natives, who spoke from their own stand-point of feeling, belief, and observation; giving, as they do, an account of the Zulu kings and some of their wars; narrating the arts and performances of the izinyanga, a class of quasi-priests, or so-called doctors; exhibiting the views of the people respecting the abatakati, or so-called witches ; and comprising a collection of the songs, prayers, and praises, which are wont to be said or sung, at home or abroad, to the living and the dead, — these selections help to give us some correct notion of the religious opinions and moral character, the social life and civil laws of the people, the forms and rules of whose language they serve to illustrate.

In furnishing a translation of these extracts, I have not thought it necessary to be so rigid as in the translation of examples in the body of the Grammar. My aim has been to give, not so much the letter, as the spirit of the original. Hence, in some places, where the text contained an ambiguous word, or an abbreviated expression, as when it says, he, it, or they did so and so, I have sometimes inserted the noun in the translation, and said, Umpande, Umbulazi, the enemy, or the cattle did so and so; while, on the other hand, I have sometimes neglected to render certain words, which would have a pleonastic or tautological appearance in English. In respect to the songs, a good translation is not easily made. The difficulty lies partly in the very idiomatic, compressed, and highly figurative character of the language, in which they are found; partly, in the sudden transitions of thought, and most arbitrary change of subjects, in which they abound ; and, partly, in the fact that the language sometimes contains an allusion to some circumstance, perhaps embodies some historical event, which transpired ages ago, and of which there remains no account, no sign, save what the song contains. Some of these difficulties could be

VI PREFACE.

avoided or met, at least in a measure; hence, in some instances, I have added a few explanatory notes — some in English, and some in Zulu in the very' words of the party who gave me the song, or ot others of whom I made inquiry as to the import of the language in question ; — and sometimes the essence of an explanatory remark, obtained from the native, has been embodied in the translation.

In respect to the typography of the work, it will be observed that the printer has been obliged to make use of small Roman letters, in some instances, where Italics or capitals should have been employed; and to resort, at times, to other expedients. The reason of this was, that we were disappointed in not finding a general assortment — Italics, capitals, &c, — with the "lower-case" letters which we had obtained to enable us to print in accordance with Dr. Lepsius's "Standard Alphabet," which the Mission had resolved to "adopt;" and also, because we failed to receive an entire fount of new type, which we had ordered to be made according to the " Standard," and had supposed it would come to hand before the present work would be ready for the press. Those who have had experience in a new country, and in one far removed from the great centers of commerce and manufactures, will know how to make allowance for exigencies of this kind.

I had hoped that while the body of the work should be going through the press, time and strength would allow me to complete a paper for the Introduction, in which an attempt would be made to exhibit some points of correspondence in the grammatical structure of different African languages, and notice some of the relations of the Hamitic to other families. But a constant pressure of various other imperative duties, has left no opportunity for this, — a subject full of interest not only as a philological pursuit, but also in its bearing upon the work of Christian Missions. Unable to finish the above "paper" in ~eason for the Grammar, at least without postponi- ; publication, which has been unavoidably delayed already too long, I 1 ive inserted a cha , r at the close of Etymology, containing the substance of an article on a kindred topic, — Remarks and Observations on certain words, as found in the Isizulu and its Cognates, — a "paper ", which was prepared, originally, for the American Oriental Society, and of which a copy was sent to that Society, something more than a year ago.

I cannot close these prefatory remarks without acknowledging my obligations to all those ministers, merchants, editors, and other kind friends, whether in Natal or at the Cape, who have encouraged me in my work, and at different times, and in various ways, have shown a readiness to forward the interests of this publication. Especially, to several of Her Majesty's Representatives in this part of the world— to His Excellency Sir George Grey, K.C.B., Governor of the Cape Colony, &.c, &.c; to His Excellency Sir Benjamin Pine, formerly Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, now of St. Christopher's; and to His Excellency John Scott, Esq.., Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony, &c; as also to the Legislative Council of the Colony, — for the kind personal and official interest which they have shown, and for the very substantial aid which they have granted, the writer begs to offer his hearty thanks; and to avail himself of this opportunity to give •them an assurance of his respect and sense of obligation.

PREFACE. VII

With most reverent and grateful acknowledgments to the God of all grace, from whose ever-present aid I have derived strength and resolution to finish these labors, and by the unfailing consolations of whose Spirit I have been sustained in a time of peculiar need ; also with a humble yet fervent prayer that He will cause these labors to subserve the interests of His kingdom, — the book is now respectfully offered to those who have favored me with their subscriptions, and to all who seek a thorough knowledge of the Zulu language.

LEWIS GROUT.

Umsunduzi Mission Station, September, 1859.

Page.

Introduction

Sect. 1. Historical Notes concerning the Amazulu . . xvii

Sect. 2. Philological Remarks respecting the Language of the

Amazulu and their Neighbors . . xix

Sect. 3. On the Origin and Character of the Orthographical

System employed in the present Work . , . xxiii

Nature and Division of Grammar ... 1

Chapter I. — Letters and Sounds of the Language. 2

Sect. 1. Alphabet . . . . .2

Sect. 2. Division of the Letters ... 3

Sect. 3. Powers or Sounds of the Letters . 4

A. Vowels .... 4

1. Their number, origin, and value . . 4

2. Quantity or length and strength of the Vowels 7

3. Double Vowels and Diphthongs . 9

4. Euphonic Vowel-changes . .10

I. Contraction . . 11

II. Crasis . . .11

III. Apostrophe ... 12

IV. Commutation . .13

V. Omission . . . 14

B. Consonants . . . .15

1. Their number and value . 15

2. Classification and Relationship of Consonants 19 Table of Alphabetic Gradations . 21 Scheme of Cognates . . .22 Table of Compatible Letters . . 24 Consonantal Scheme . . .26

3. Combinations of Consonants 26

4. Euphony and Consonantal Changes . . 28

5. Euphonic Letters . . . 31

C. Clicks . . . . .33 The dental click ... 33 The palatal click . . 3,4 The lateral click , 34 Table of clicks . ' . .35

a 2

Chapter II. — The Noun or Substantive

Sect. 1. Kinds of Nouns

I. Concrete Nouns

II. Abstract Nouns Sect. 2. Formation of Nouns

I. Primitive Nouns

II. Derivative Nouns

A. Nouns derived from Nouns

B. Nouns derived from Adjectives

C. Nouns derived from Verbs

D. Nouns derived from other parts of Speech

III. Compound Nouns Sect. 3. Nominal Incipients or Preformatives . Sect. 4. Classes and number of Nouns

I. First class

II. Second class

III. Third class .

IV. Fourth class

V. Fifth class

VI. Sixth class

VII. Seventh class

VIII. Eighth class Table of the classes of Nouns

Sect. 5. Irregular, Defective, and Redundant Nouns Sect. 6. Gender of Nouns .

CONTENTS.

XI

Sect. 7. Cases of Nouns

I. The Nominative Case

II. The Genitive Case

III. The Accusative Case .

IV. The Locative Case

V. The Vocative Case

Scheme of the declension of Nouns

Page.

71 71

71 75 76 73 79

Chapter III. — Adjectives

Sect. 1. Derivation of Adjectives

A. From Nouns

B. From Adjectives

C. From Verbs Sect. 2. Classes of Adjectives Sect. 3. Inflection of Adjectives .

A. As an Attributive

Table of Adjectives declined as Attributives

B. As a Predicate .

Table of Adjectives declined as Predicates Sect. 4L Numeral Adjectives

A. Cardinal Numbers

Table of Cardinal Numbers

B. Ordinal Numbers

C. Collective Numerals :Sect. 5. Indefinite Adjectives

80 81 81

Sect Sect

Chapter IV. — Pronouns

Classification of Pronouns A. Personal Pronouns

A. The Preformative Pronoun

B. The Simple Pronoun .

C. The Conjunctive Pronoun

D. The Definitive Pronoun

E. The Possessive Pronoun

F. The Reflective Pronoun Table of Personal Pronouns

Sect. 3. B. Relative Pronouns

Table of Relative Pronouns Sect. 4. C. Demonstrative Pronouns

Table of Demonstrative Pronouns D. Interrogative Pronouns

Chapter V. — Verbs. Sect. 5

Sect. 1. Classification of Verbs

A. Regular and Irregular, Primitive, Derivative, and Compound Verbs ....

I. Primitive Verbs

112 113

113 113

XII

CONTENTS.

Page.

II. Derivative Verbs

A. Radical species

B. Relative species

C. Causative species

D. Reciprocal species

E. Reflective species

F. Subjective species

G. Deponent species

H. Diminutive species

Compound species

III. Compound Verbs

Sect.

2. Classification of Verbs (continued) .

jB. Principal and Auxiliary ; Transitive and Intransitive

Active and Passive ; Defective and Idiomatic Verbs

, 120

A. Notional Verbs .

B. Relational Verbs

Idiomatic Verbs

Sect.

3. Properties of Verbs

A. On the Modes

I. The Infinitive Mode .

II. The Indicative Mode

III. The Potential Mode

IV. The Optative Mode

V. The Imperative Mode

VI. The Subjunctive Mode

B. On the Tenses a. General Remarks b. The number of Tenses c. Tenses of the several modes .

A. Tenses of the indicative mode .

I. Present tense

II. Past tense

III. Future tense

IV. Present perfect tense

V. Past perfect tense

VI. Future perfect tense

B. Tenses of the potential mode

I. Present tense

II. Past tense

III. Future tense .

IV. Present perfect tense

V. Past perfect tense

VI. Future perfect tense .

C. Tenses of the optative mode

D. Tenses of the imperative mode

E. Tenses of the subjunctive mode

Sect.

4. Number and person

Sect.

5. Conjugation

Synoptic table of a Regular Verb .

Sect.

Sect.

7. Defective Verbs

CONTENTS.

Xlll

Chapter I. — Propositions and Sentences

Sect. 1 . Definitions and Remarks

Sect. 2. Simple Propositions

Sect. 3. Modified Subject

Sect. 4. Modified Predicate

Sect. 5. Variety of Combinations and Propositions

I. The Predicative combination

II. The Attributive combination

III. The Objective combination Sect. 6. Compound Sentences

I. Co-ordinate Sentences

II. Subordinate Sentences

III. Incidental members

Chapter II. — Syntax of the Noun

Sect. 1. The Nominative Sect. 2. The Genitive

I. In respect to origin

II. In respect to ownership

III. In respect to designation Genitive subjective and objective .

Sect. 3. The Accusative .

Sect. 4. The Locative Sect. 5. The Vocative

263 266 266 266

267 269

272 277 278 b 2

XIV

CONTENTS.

Chapter III. — Syntax of the Adjective

Sect. 1. Agreement of Adjectives

Sect. 2. Of Degrees, and Particular Words

Sect. 3. Numerals .

Page. 279

279 286 293

Chapter IV. — Syntax of the Pronoun

Sect. 1. Agreement

Sect. 2. Personal Pronouns

A. The Pronoun used as a Substitute

B. The Pronoun used as a Complement Sect. 3. Relative Pronouns .

Sect. 4. Demonstrative Pronouns Sect. 5. Interrogative Pronouns

Chapter V. — Syntax of the Verb

Sect. 1. Agreement, Combination, -and Expansion Sect. 2. Government of Verbs

Continuity of Verbs .

Sect. 3. Syntax of the Modes and Tenses

I. Infinitive Mode

II. Indicative Mode

III. Potential Mode .

IV. Optative Mode

V. Imperative Mode .

VI. Subjunctive Mode

A. Present tense .

B. Past tense

C. Future tense

D. Present perfect tense

E. Past perfect tense

F. Future perfect tense .

Sect. 4. Idiomatic Verbs, Forms, and Uses