NGANTO IS THAT harmless, clandestine (but also active and useful) Nabaloi word and its basic, plainest, and foundationed meaning is: “What?” or “What.. cum other words or elements.. [then]?” as in:
1) NGANTO? NGANTO LA y kowan mo? (Transl: “What? What did you say?”), or,
2) NGANTO N/JA KOLOD e ko-jen mo? (Transl: “What LKR colour is you POSS?”).
AND IT STAYS that simple or uncomplicated in other applications as well. Let’s cite some illustrative examples:
3) ENGEGSHI KA NI Nganto? (Literal “You held OF what?”). Application: as a Direct Object of the verb, past tense of egshian =int ‘to hold’.
4) NGANTO Y SHAKA pan dag-ah? (Lit: “What [is it that] they’re doing?”). Application/APPL: Object of the Gerundial, shaka pandag-ah, from the verb: dag-en =int ‘to do’.
5) MAN AS ASPUL kayo et.. engkhatud nganto? (Lit: You will be meeting [constantly] and then.. until what?”]. APPL: Object of the Preposition: engkhatud =int ‘until’, ‘to the point that ‘, et cetera. But
THE MOMENT(!) NGANTO is paired with, or is followed by the Adjunct or Expression Ngo, the meanings, implications, the near- (or far-) semblances shall dazzle you. Observe yourself deciphering the content Vital of (each of) the following applications:
6) NGANTO [NGO] ITAN.. (Transl: “What’s that?” Originally, but with the addition of ngo, you get meaning-additions of any (or all) of the following: 6.1) “It is erratic!”; or, 6.2) “Let’s discard it!”; or, 6.3) “Did you not check it prior?”; or [even] “your alibis are aimlessly disgusting!”; and so forth.
7) NGANTO [NGO] Y kowan mo? (Transl: “What do you say?” originally, i.e. without the ngo; but with its addition, we further get the following: 7.1) “And, your version?”; or, “any [further] comment?”; or, “And [you], what do you say for yourself?”, et cetera.
8) NGANTO [NGO] ESHAN iya~! (Literal: “What, EXPR, REASON/CAUSE-MARKER, this/that/the ~!” n.b. The ~! shall stand for the object of source, blame, reason, etc., which could be a person, place, or any thing, to wit:
8.1) NGANTO [NGO] ESHAN iya Polano! (person’s name); or, Central Office! (location-reference); or, Liberalismus! (Philosophy or ‘tendency’); and so on.
[BUT NOW, WE have to proceed to the ‘strangest’ or most powerful Effect of Ngo.. on the basic Nganto~? Or “What~? In].
THE IMPOSING EXPRESSION: 9) Nganto ngo mowan! Which, if dissected by the Relational Grammarian will give us:
NGANTO (QW/WHAT), NGO (EXPR =int EMPH/REASONING/ETC.), MOWAN (again/also)! Or, simplified Nganto ngo mowan! Is the same or equivalent to (≡): What/QW, EMPH, also/again!
FOR CLARITY, LET’S compare the following applications – all stemming from Nganto~
0.9 NGANTO~ What/QW~
1.9 NGANTO NGO~ what/QW, REASON, CONCESSION, et cetera.
2.9 NGANTO MOWAN~ What/QW, again? [And finally, the resulting]:
9.0 NGANTO NGO MOWAN! This shall carry with it: any, some, or all of the following concomitant ‘Consequents’ (P->Qs)
9.1 AND, AREN’T YOU to blame – partly, or for everything?
9.2 WHY NOT ASK yourself? You know (you are aware of) it, aren’t you?
9.3 WHAT’S THE MATTER..? Face the problem/consequences..
9.4 YOU HAD IT coming. Didn’t you know that..? Do you realize.. now? So?
9.5 YOU CAN DO better by keeping mum; and reflecting rather on it – on the issue, ergo Nganto ngo mowan!
9.6 AND SO FORTH.
WHEN YOU’RE WALKING with – or sitting beside someone.. and he or she starts wailing about how difficult life is – being ‘single’ (or being ‘married’), you can softly say: Nganto ngo mowan!
[YES, IT IS that quick, easy, ‘handy’, and diplomatic(!) an EXPR.. it is, really].
YOU DON’T HAVE to battle with yourself finding search – for the stricter, more detailed, and wordy renditions of its EXPR co-miserates: the Nganto~ (What~) other forms. Ahoj!
