HE, HET, HETA

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Exercise

The Rotuman word he, which can combine with –t and ta, is a particle that follows nouns. Though it is untranslatable, it nevertheless must be used in proper Rotuman.
First, let’s look at the forms in which he occurs. Just as –t can attach directly to a noun to mean ‘a [singular noun]’, so [noun] het means ‘a [singular noun]’. And just as ta can attach directly to a noun (though it is usually written with a space between it and the noun) to mean ‘the [singular noun]’, so [noun] heta (or he ta) means ‘the [singular noun]’. He alone is used when the noun is plural and is followed by a number or number-like word. In other words, you can get the following:

Now when is each form used? If you think of a typical story or tale, the characters are usually introduced near the beginning. In English you might find something like ‘there was a king who had a daughter’, with the indefinite article a. In Rotuman these characters, both king and daughter, would be introduced with het. In the English story, later references to the king and his daughter would use the definite article the (the king, the daughter) or his (his daughter). This is where Rotuman would use heta (for singular) and he rua/fol/his/etc. for more than one. This means that you will find many examples of het at the beginning of a story or narrative:

'oria le' rua, le' fā het ma le' hȧn het… le' fā heta . . .
‘they had two children, a son and a daughter…the son…’

The other primary use of het is when ta is used in front of the noun (this is a different word from the one meaning ‘the’); it means something like ‘a certain [noun]’. Ta before the noun goes together with het after the noun:

Heta is used after a singular noun which is possessed. Possession in Rotuman is indicated by a possessive word, such as 'on or 'oto, in front of the noun. When a singular noun is possessed in this way, it is followed by heta.

When the possessed noun is plural, he rua/fol/his/etc. is used:
'on ma'piag he rua ‘his two grandchildren’

There are certain set time expressions which typically use one or the other of these he forms. These expressions should be memorized rather than analyzed.

Finally, we need to understand why one of the he forms is used after a noun rather than nothing at all. He is used to differentiate the regular meaning of the noun from a meaning that is smaller or more diminutive. For example:  

Exercise
Below is a portion of the story Haoag Ne 'Atmot ta Rotuma.
Choose the correct form (he, het or heta) for each blank. The correct answers follow. Try to understand the reason that each form is used here.

Hạila'oag ma mäel tarau rua se hanhapat 'e rer ne 'ạtmot
About two hundred miles to the north of the islands

mou ne Fiti, ma mäel ma'oi pau se soloag as ne Sa'moa, tä fū
belonging to Fiji, and many miles west of Samoa, there is sin

'ạtmot ạf mea'mea' (1)_____ ne he' Rotuma.
a small island chain called Rotuma.

'Atmot (2)_____ his 'i kat no' ra 'e te' ne av 'i.
These several islands had not always been there.

'E 'on tauas pau, gat se kikia li' lealea tafat 'esea, leu roaf ma
Long ago, there was only wide empty sea, coming in and


se laloga ka kat 'es a'ofiag (3)_____ ra.
going out without end.


'E av (4)_____ ta fā gagajat 'e Sa'moa 'on asa Raho,
At that time a chief lived in Samoa, whose name was Raho


ka ia ma 'on ma'piag (5)_____ rua; ma'piag fā (6) _____ 'on asa Lama,
and he had two grandchildren; the grandson was named Lama,


ka ma'piag hạn (7)_____ Maiva.
and the granddaughter was Maiva.

Ma tē aire le' (8)_____ rua ma'piag fā 'eseat ma, ka iria ma 'oria
Although the two children had the same grandfather, they had

ma'piag hạn tūtū rua, 'e reko Raho 'inos ma hạn rua.
two grandmothers, because Raho had married two wives.

Ma ma'piag (9)_____ rua hạipeluag hạisokoag.
And the two grandchildren fought continually.

Lama tiaptiap'ạk se Maiva ma 'ea'ea, “'äna 'ou ma'piag
Lama taunted Maiva, saying, “Your grandmother

hạn ta, hạn a'pufạ'ạkit.
was the inferior wife.”

Ma 'äe 'igke le' a'pumua'ạk (10)_____ , 'äe le' forau (11) _____.”
And you are not a superior child, you are a foreigner.”

Answers