3 The Two Adjective Classes in Manange 77(2) inA inApA 'noisy'
icocorjpA ~ iconpA 'similar'
3kye 3kyepA ~ 3kikye 'sweet' (pretty + pretty)
4kole ~ 4kole?le 'slow'
3kini ~ 3kinikini 'fast'
The first three forms are verb-like adjectives, while the others are simple adjec-
tives. The word ^kikye sweet' is a simple adjective in its simplex form, but becomes
a verb-like adjective 3/cye ikyepA, when reduplicated. This is the only adjective we
know of that changes lexical class under reduplication. The form 2HA, 2nApA does
not have a simplex alternate. Reduplication has the semantic effect of intensifica-
tion, e.g. zkinikini 'really fast'.
2.4. SEMANTIC CATEGORIES
Most of the semantic categories of adjectives given in Dixon (1982, ch. i) include
members from both the simple and the verb-like adjective classes. A few, however,
do not. For example, only simple adjectives convey COLOUR, SPEED, and QUANTIFI-
CATION, while only verb-like adjectives convey DIFFICULTY and HUMAN PROPEN-
SITY. Here we will examine each semantic category in turn.
2.4.1. COLOUROnly simple adjectives may be COLOUR terms. There are nine distinct members of
this class, listed in (3):
(3) imlenkya 'black'
lolkya 'red'
ipirjkya 'blue'
lurkya 'yellow'
itArkya 'white'
3carjku green'
4myephra grey' (ash + powder)
(alo) isuntala 'orange' (potato + orange)
3inukpA 'brown' (mud)
Five of the colour terms share a common structure, being bisyllabic with the final
syllable -kya, which may be an old colour classifier. In at least one other Tamangic
language (Nar-Phu, Noonan 2003), cognates to three of these forms appear with-
out the final -kya. The COLOUR category includes the member isuntala 'orange',
borrowed from Nepali. Suntala is a lexical adjective in Nepali, which, along with its
semantic value, accounts for its unusual appearance in this generally closed class.
The word for 'brown is derived from a noun meaning 'mud/earth,' and the word for
grey' is derived from the (compound) word for 'ash.' In both cases, it is the colour
of these substances that lends meaning to the colour terms.