verbs of sensing are used, the object of a verb is marked by the relational particle . e.g.: He hakahu koe i te rama (the relational particle and object are bolded) "You light the torch" Where a verb of sensing is used, the subject is marked by the agentive particle . e.g.: He tikea e au te poki (the agentive particle and subject are bolded) "I can see the child" Directionals Spatial deictics is also present in Rapa Nui, in the form of two directionals: mai and atu. They indicate direction with respect to a specific deictic centre or locus. indicates movement towards the deictic centre, hence the gloss hither. atu indicates movement away from the deictic centre, and is as such glossed as away. They are both reflexes of a larger system in Proto-Polynesian. Postverbal Demonstratives The postverbal demonstratives (PVDs) have the same form as the postnominal demonstratives, and they have the same meaning: : proximity, close to the speaker : medial distance, close to the hearer : default PVD; farther distance, removed from both speaker and hearer. How they differ from postnominal demonstratives is their function/where they can appear, as it is quite limited. They can only appear in certain syntactic contexts, listed here: PVDs are common after imperfective e to express a progressive or habitual action. The contiguous marker ka is often followed by a PVD, both in main and subordinate clauses. With the perfect ko V ā, era is occasionally used to express an action which is well and truly finished. PVDs also appear in relative clauses Overall, their main function is to provide nuance to the aspectual marker they are being used alongside. References From Du Feu, Veronica (1996). Rapanui. From Kieviet, Paulus (2017). A Grammar of Rapa Nui. Other footnotes ACT:action LIM:limitative PPD:postpositive determinant PRS:person singular RLT:relational particle STA:state (verbal) TOW:towards subject EMP:emphasis GRP:group plural RES:resultative PROX:proximal demonstrative PRED:predicate marker NTR:neutral aspect PROP:proper article SUBS:subsequent CONNEG:constituent negator Bibliography Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Pagel, S., 2008. The old, the new, the in-between: Comparative aspects of Hispanisation on the Marianas and Easter Island (Rapa Nui). In T. Stolz, D. Bakker, R.S. Palomo (eds) Hispanisation: The Impact of Spanish on the Lexicon and Grammar of the Indigenous Languages of Austronesia and the Americas. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 167–201. External links Englert's Rapa Nui