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If
Ë£ m + negative is added to Í -e forms, we got `no-WH'
type expressions. The same construction, involving a negative verb, can
also occur:
- Íõ×´æ£ É§×Á engeyum ille `nowhere'
- ͤ½é£ ɧ×Á eppavum ille `never'
- ¿Ôç£ Ø½Ô´§×Á yaarum poohalle `nobody went'
- ÐýᣠÉç¡´Ôâ onnum irukkaadu `there won't be
anything'
- ¿Ôç£ ÂÀ§×Á yaarum varalle `nobody came'
- ÇÂç Íõ×´æ£ Ø½Ô´§×Á avaru engeyum poohalle `he didn't go anywhere'
- ÐýᣠÞà¡´§×Á onnum kudukkalle `(he) didn't give a thing'
- ÍÆ¡Þ Çõ×´ ¿Ô×Àæ£ ×»ÀÕ¿§×Á enakku ange yaarum teriyalle `I don't know anyone there'
Note that for `nothing' we get Ðýᣠɧ×Á onnum ille
`nothing' (`not even one thing.') The literal meaning of Ë£ ɧ×Á -um
ille is `not even' and used with NOUNS instead of Í e- forms,
it has this meaning:
- Ðç Ù½¶Ôé£ É§×Á oru paysaav-um ille `not even a paysaa'
- Ðç ´¤ ´Ô¤½Õæ£ Ø½Ô¹§×Á oru kap kaappi-y-um poodalle
`(They) didn't even offer (me) a cup of coffee'
Harold_F.Schiffman