251
5.32 BEFORE 5.32.1 Primitive Syntax
BEFORE occurs in the following syntactic frame: BEFORE d1 TIMETHIS
W 1996:133 has also suggested CLAUSE1 BEFORE CLAUSE2 as a universal frame. I would like to suggest, however, one can decompose this valence in exactly the same way as interclausal AFTER.
CLAUSE1 BEFORE THIS, CLAUSE2
I will therefore consider such examples to be near-canonical examples of the valence BEFORE THIS.
5.32.2 HCE Candidates
There are two possible exponents for the primitive BEFORE: bifo and ago. There are about 40 examples of ago and over 400 examples of bifo.
HCE bifo is clearly the best choice as a primary exponent for the primitive BEFORE. Ago is restricted in its distribution and cannot occur in combination with THIS:
121 I wen do um dis ago.
‘I did it before this’ Ago is at best an allolex of BEFORE for some people.
5.32.3 Examples of bifo
5.32.3.1 bifo TIME There are a couple of good canonical examples of bifo in combination with TIME:
ER:770 Yeah, in Lahaina. I think they still get the place Lahaina. I think she stay rent ’em over there. That’s where we used to stay before I came over here. Stay going Lahaina Poko Road. I don’t
know. Now I forget. Before Lahaina time, small boy, yeah, I go all around the place, but now I no go. I don’t know how many...
ER:827 But before Munro time, get pig, eh, but one Japanese man, Kawano, no not Kawano,
that’s the mechanic. Gee, I forget his name, but I know the one Japanese was taking care the pig up here. Only up here. Up here had pig, only for Munro time. Down there, when Vredenburg come, then he wen
make pigpen. NC:129 But you have to check every now and then, maybe once or twice a day you have to look.
Don’t let ’em get dry. That takes nearly a month, 20 some-odd days, before you ready to pull the rice to transplant. Before the time for transplanting, you have to dry the patch. Maybe today you dry about
three, four hours, then you let water in again. Then the next day, four or five hours, then you let water in again. Nighttime they don’t drain the water, they let the water in. Only daytime they dry. For about a
week.
252 5.32.3.2 bifo THIS
There are numerous examples of bifo and daet:
AK:596 Before, not like now, they stop you from drinking water right in the creek there. Before that there were a few, nothing, doesn’t affect anybody. Really. We go out and you thirsty, you just drink
the water from there. Even down by the beach, you know the stream there. If you thirsty, you drink that water, but not today.
AK:637 That was about 1939, I think I started getting saddle, I think was 1940, I think. He was
doing saddle before that. Lot of people I think. I know, I think I got my saddle 1940.
AK:640 Well, they used to have a store over there. And, I don’t know, that’s only good place for everybody hang around. They pau church, they come over there. Then afterwards, then we move up to
the school. Because before that, they had the school, but very small playing ground. Then, when they had the FERA and WPA for a project, that’s when we opened up all that. Behind the school used to be all
nothing but guava bushes around there. So when we work over there, we opened up the ground, then we use that as, you know.
ER:840 But the horses know already, eh. When you go over there, you whistle, they come. They go in the gate. And then they go in the stable, get all the fence around, eh, the horse, you drive ’em over
there, go in the stable. Then, some, you feed. Before that, they no feed. Morning time, you gotta go catch your own horse inside the pen. The first time I come, you gotta catch your horse, bring and saddle
up and go. Then bumbai later, they build da kine stall. Then the horse, morning time, you gotta go feed. You go over there, you bring ’em all inside the pen. Before that, in the evening, you know you going go
work, going be your chance. In the evening, you go fill up all the barley...
ER:865 Kauila. Kauila, every time he go down there church, too. But, before that, when I come
over here, had one down there yet. FD:279 So we move there. From there, that’s how I met this man. Because he has plenty friends
over there. They have camps, eh, over there. That’s how I got to know him. But before that, they used to work. My husband used to work for the County. They used to be a trapper for the Board of Health.
GF:329 That’s all Mock Chew’s pond. The whole section there. I don’t know how many acres. Maybe about 50, 60 acres. Mullet pond. He has his own pond. Catch his own fish. And Kawashima used
to take care for him. And before that, he used to take care the pond. Then when he expanded, well, he cannot take care of the pond. He let somebody else take care the pond. Kawashima take care the pond.
GF:348 Yeah. About three years now. Now third crop. Before that, well, taro people been having
rot, all kinds of rot. They harvest and they tell me that my taro, how come my taro is good, and the places they harvesting the taro all rot. And my neighbor farmer come to me. He tell me, “Gee, George,
how come my taro rot? Your taro no rot.” “I don’t know. Maybe God give me good taro.” I telling you the truth. Everytime I ask the Lord. I pray before I cut the seed. You putting this down? That’s all right. I
tell the truth. I pray before I cut the seed. I pray before I till the ground. I ask the Lord to cleanse the land. What’s no good in the land, take it out.
MM:333 Yeah but way before that used to be Toichi, a different guy. Jack Shigematsu is way later
on. And then, his job is to give out tools and give kerosene out. You know, to the plantation people, single man, they give the five-gallon can. Now days, you no see even the gallon can.
MT:1167 Well, you had one trying to operate a poi shop–Araki’s poi shop–and you had another one
before that, was Harrison Kanekoa folks had one, and we had one, Taro Farmers Association.
MY:1480 So, soon as I paid, then they had this lumber company called, “Mid-Pacific Lumber.” So, and I good friends, see. He and I good friends, see, from before. So I asked him. UH graduate, see. I ask
him, “Hey, you need workman?” Oh, before that, he asked me. “Anytime you like job, you come see me.” So I say, “Okay.” So I wen apply. I told him, “I like work.” He say, “You sure? Okay, I give you one.
I pay you an advance so you no quit.” So, he paid me one month advance. And I work for there. Till I retired, I worked for him, you know.
NC:157 I was watching the fish, waiting for him to turn around. My boy yelled from the roof, “Daddy, look down” There were waves coming up. I swung my net on my back and I started make my
253 way home. My wife was on the porch, she tell, “Throw the net away” So I tell ’em, “No, I think I beat
the wave.” So I ran into the kitchen. Our kitchen is separated from the house, with the hallway I had to open the kitchen door, get in, close that door; open the other kitchen door, get into the hallway–of
course, I had to close the kitchen door–then I opened the parlor door. The waves came, one big timber hit the T G floor, knock off one whole. In no time, the water was bed high, to the bed, so I tell, “Gee it
looks like...we better get away from here.” My boy said, “Another wave’s coming. It looks like it is going to cover the house.” I said, “Gee it’s bad if it covers the house because....” No, before that, he was on
top, one wave came. That wave started rip the floor, took the kitchen and hallway roofing away. The kitchen went clear of the whole thing.
SU:1521 Then finally, he teach me how to sharp the saw and everything. I catch on right away. Then I sharp my own saw. The new saw that I bought, I sharp that. But doesn’t go straight because don’t
know how to use the file, see. So I asked him, “How come?” He tell me, “How much did you file?” “So and so, so and so.” “No, you should count. Every time when you go on the teeth, four times, you got to
go four, four. Every one, four. And then turn around, you go four, four, four. Then you get. Then after you sharp, you get the needle and put the needle. If the needle slice right away, it’s okay.” That was that.
Then before that, I think I spoiled couple of my saws, you know, at the plantation.
SU:1558 Yeah. I bought the place, you know, before that. TA:43 I used to come down here, off and on, before that. Then I subleased from Mock Chew. Even
you plant one crop, that’s it. You know already. Then you go ask people how to run the water in there, when to stop the water.
TA:43 That’s when I bought one old military jeep. Because the Army was stationed down here too. Had some military guys, they was watching the beach. So the Army wen bulldozer and try level up the
road. Before that, you know the trail going up, is just like one step ladder. That’s where the mules step every time, the same holes. And then the road was real narrow, those days.
TA:44 Yeah, on the bank. Before that, they all sickle work. And then the people find out how easy,
herbicide. One big field, you can do in one day. You go by the sickle, man, take you weeks before you finish. By the time you reach the other end, the other end start growing already.
WK:711 You know where Toni Araki live? Right. below. Before had a house there. Of course, now, they wen clean ’em all up. The place is different altogether now. Where Tom, live is different altogether
before that. They had couple sections around there. Old sections.
YA:1029 Yeah, Chinese. Then they only get about two, three dollars a month. Maybe five dollars, three dollars, or four dollars, I don’t know how much. One month, you know, they work. They come
here, they make five dollars, that’s plenty money in those days, you know. Make one dollar, one day. Plantation only pay you one dollar, one day. They give you firewood and everything, and house.
Sugarcane field. But Before that was more cheap. When the people strike for more pay, they foolish. The plantation give ’em wood, and give ’em free light, free house. And you no need buy water. Over there get
good running water. And then, they get big house, big yard. They raise chicken, raise duck, any kind. And then, they no worry nothing.
YA:1065 Oh, everything change over there, now. They get big kind cottage come up, you know. Up
there, I don’t know. I never go up there long time, but the road been cut, eh? Oh, yeah, Before that, was only taro patch.
Again, the status of daet in these contexts is not clear to me. It is very possible daet could be an allolex of THIS in this context. At very least, it is decomposable into some configuration which contains
THIS. 5.32.3.3 Clause bifo Clause
There are numerous examples of interclausal bifo. As mentioned earlier, these will be considered near- canonical examples of the valence BEFORE THIS:
254
AK:616 No. We don’t go out and do it without any money, so we had to. Before we do anything,
we have to ask them if we can, or if they give us the help to help us.
ER:840 They went Lahainaluna only little while before they run away. ER:852 They burn ’em with oil, crude oil. Then you light the fire. Then the yardman, before he
pau hana, he light the fire. He put the oil inside, only by drop, drop, drop in the fire.
ER:898 Before we whack by the body or by the head, they run away. You no can find ’em. FD:277 The property was made on me. But I didn’t want to fight for property. So that’s why,
Samuel get one other brother in Honolulu, eh? That’s Dukie’s daddy. Dukie Mock Chew. They are taro farmer too. So his daddy, I told him to go find out for the property. If I wanted to, if I was greedy, I
would have all the property. So I just tell them go look before somebody get in, and they can claim. If you don’t keep up with the tax, somebody else can have the place. Because that place belongs to me. But
I didn’t want to make trouble, so I’m just like their big sister because my grandma married to their daddy.
FD:295 That’s why I was telling one of the teachers, because I know the girls. Before she go to
school, I always tell them, “Check her every day.” This is almost lunch hour, they call me back. “She’s in school today and they question her where she was Friday. Because we call home, Grandma say you came
to school, but you wasn’t present that day.” GF:305 Then after I finished high school, my brother wants me to go have a better education than
high school. They want me to go to college but shee, boy, I rather go work. Lot of fun, you know. So my brother told me, “Well, try two years, then. ” And he say, “Well, you still too young. You got to be 18
before you can enter college. You still too young. You go stay back two years work.” After you stay
back two years work, you don’t want to continue school already. GF:323 Well, sometimes we had five guys working. Not everyday. Sometimes we have four guys.
Depend on the job. Because, you sees I get to the grass before the grass get me. That’s how we can upkeep with the job. Just like now, my daughter and the husband raising taro. I tell them, “Get to the
grass before the grass get to you. ” KK:115 An, “Kekoa You ga put your head behine your head before you die. Oooo Kekoa wat a big
nose you got dere. Let me see your face, Kekoa. O dat isn’t he’. Not that crooked, ’keh. You n have to take to hospital. I know where you n get– you n get plenny mo baby-sitters, Kekoa. So you got hol your
cwook, den you get em.”
KK:115 Kekoa said, “Man, I gotta get my heya cut befo I die.” MM:333 No. Five-thirty. The locomotive come up before five, make ready for five o’clock; he blows
the whistle. And then, 5:30, people go onto the cane car. And then, go out work. And then, who stay near to the railroad track where the train passes and unload the labor, if their working place is right
close, he got to start work before the sun rise, see? And then, who stay to the end of the track, and from the end of the track he still got to walk maybe about a mile before he reach to the place where he work.
MM:348 Well, I go early in the morning just before the sun rise. That’s why, the dog, they knock
out, you know. You know the buffalo grass? The grass is high, eh? They got to jump, jump, and knock out, you know. They tired, eh?
MT:1187 I talked to Jeri, Wednesday again. But see, the UH, according to him, it says before they
can check the water for any kind of, you have to know what we looking for in the water, before they can sample it. Which, we don’t know. I don’t know myself. But I think has something to do with the water.
You have this guava seed problem coming out now. Which, I never did get it.
MT:1191 Yeah, all with the apii at that time. See, I made my contract just before I quit the
plantation. So when I got out of the plantation, I had something to work with already. I have a guarantee for my family.
MY:1459 Our days, we had lot of boys who go surfing. Today, Waikiki, you don’t see none of the boys now. Because most of the boys, now they have this new board. Our days, the board was real solid
board, heavy board. When you go, you go across from our home to carry the board, you got to rest about five, six times before you can come home.
255 NC:141 That I don’t know. You cannot join, just tell, “I like join.” Got to get somebody to
recommend you and that fella has to more like be a bondsman, or something like that before you can get in. And he must be a member of the church first before he can bring other fellows in.
NC:146 That’s the worse time, the birds hungry, eh. They come down. No matter how you try. And little bit rain, that’s another time. You know, when drizzle. Hoo, they not afraid. One time they got me
so mad I went home I get the 12 gauge. I wen blow them down. Drop ’em. You scare ’em, eh. But still yet they come. But at least they get scared. They fly away. But they have to fill their stomach before they go
home to nest. Nighttime just before dark you see them going. Hoo–by the thousands. Going. Flock in the thousands going flying.
NC:181 I don’t know. Nobody knows. It is soft rot. Of course, the other one is guava seed rot. Guava seed rot, we know more or less, I know how to cure that. You fertilize, you lime up the patch first
before you plant it and after that, you fertilize the thing before they start get keiki. Push ’em up. Even if you get a keiki only little bit under, the guava seed rot, if wouldn’t go way up.
YA:1040 And I see Dr. Cooper was manager for the labor board of the Navy. So, he take me in,
see? He tell me, 3.20 one day. So, I quit the job over there. Before I quit, I go tell the Hawaiian Electric bookkeeper, “I get another job. I want you give me a recommendation.” So, he type me one
recommendation, and I take ’em to Dr. Cooper. And I go in the Navy yard. Three dollar twenty cents one day. Bumbai I work little while, the superintendent in the Navy yard, he like me ’cause I good worker,
eh?
YA:1051 I was home sleeping that day. That was on Sunday morning. I get up, and I wash my face, brush my teeth. How come? What’s wrong with those guns? They firing, shooting up. Bang, bang, bang,
boom, bang. All over. You know? All of a sudden, I hear the radio say, “Turn out. Everybody turn out on the job ’cause somebody bomb here.” Then, I know Pearl Harbor was bombed, see. But they must have
hit someplace else before they hit the hangar. They hit Hickam hangar, and Pearl Harbor they hit the Arizona.
5.32.3.4 ago TIME Ago may appear in combination with a specification of a time period:
MY:1482 Six years ago. I worked for him twenty-two or twenty-four years with him. But till today,
I still sell for them, you know. The customer call me at home, I call in the order for them or I go down to the job. So, I give them. He knows. When he see the listing, he knows that I still work for them. He say,
“Because, you, you do real good pub....” OC:8 He say, “Why is that too much money? Didn’t you sell?” I say, “Today’s Sunday” “What’s
Sunday got to do?” So I explain, “You know, two Sundays ago they only give ten cents for three.” “Oh,” he scratch his head, “that’s right.” You know what he did? He just take a quarter and throw in there.
“Have a good time”
YA:1069 Oh, mybe couple months ago, I think. Then, I run up the corner. I look where the fire is. I
didn’t know was a fire right in the back of the house. It may also appear in the common phrase lang taim ago:
ER:888 But, like the summertime, good, the sun way up, plenty time, eh. Sometime you can ride three horse. But when he come this kind time, the sun quick, yeah, go down. So when I come this kind
time, I come home, maybe little bit dark like this, I come inside the house I go eat. I eat pau by the time, the horse stay rest, eh. And when I pau eat, I can go take ’em off already and go tie ’em and go bathe.
The truck driver was more better. More better long ago I wen go truck driver.
FD:295 This is almost lunch hour, they call me back. “She’s in school today and they question her where she was Friday. Because we call home, Grandma say you came to school, but you wasn’t present
that day.” Because I called. She was a bad girl that day. Well, she admit she was wrong, that she listened to her friends. And, imagine, they went down to Hapuna and she just got her license not too long ago.
Not even a year and trying to travel the kind places. You know, I’m afraid to travel Kawaihae.
256 GF:308 But I was going quit from him, see? I wanted to quit from him. I don’t want to work in
Waipio, see? “You don’t want to let me go?” He said, “No, you stay. You make good. You good boy.” This and that. I say, “No, I cannot live by praises. I got to look for myself.” You know the Chinese say,
“Beware when people praise you, you going fall down. If somebody scold you, stick your head in the water, you can come up. But if somebody praise you every time, you beware of them.” That’s what my
mother used to teach us long time ago. And sometimes, I used to think, I used to go around in my life, I see other people, they have fathers and mothers scold the children, teach them.
NC:135 Oh, that thing is busted long, long ago. I forget how long ago, already. You know that
house, Lau Kong house? Behind, he get one small shack. I don’t know if still there. Where Sonny Ah Puck used to stay. I don’t think he stay. The lumber is from there, you know. From the rice mill. You’d be
surprised. I am not sure, however, about the status of langtaim. In the most recent version of the metalanguage,
A LONG TIME is a primitive. I have suggested in the previous chapter, it should be treated as a com- bination of BIG and TIME. If I am correct, the above are canonical examples; if I am wrong, they are not.
5.32.4 Summary
