Wll-LIAMS. — Liui(/U(i(/( of tin (JJidlkdUL Is/a/u/s. 417 



liotli grammar and vocabulary make the language more difficult for one 

 conversant with Maori to read than Earotongan, and not less so than that 

 of Tahiti, Uvea, or Nine. 



Structurally the dialect is exceedingly plastic, and affords examples of 

 letter change in bewildering variety. In some cases the metamorphosed 

 word has wholly displaced the form with which we are familar in Maori ; 

 in others the Maori form is used concurrently with one or more variant 

 forms. This appearance of Maori forms may in some cases be a survival, 

 while in others it may be due to adoption from the speech of the more 

 recently arrived iMaori ov«>rlords. 



In the matter of letter change we may, in comparing with Maori,* note 

 the occurrence of — 



A for E : fj la (fe, art.), a (e, prep.), tikamafa {ti(kemata). 

 A for EI : ka (kei). 

 A for / .• k(( {ki, prep.). 

 A for O.-f lakato (takoto), kofau {koutoii). 

 A for OA : 7nana {moana). 

 A for U : oata [Jwatu). marl (muri). 

 AI for / .• hokai {hoki). 



E for A:^ heu (hau), kei {kai), etu (atu), eriki {ariki), tinane (tinana), 

 E for / .■ nape (napi). 



E for : reimata {roimafd), tike (tikcj), mohetvao {mohowao), heme 

 , (hemo), konehi {kanohi). 



E for U : aiu/e {akn). 



E frequently inserted before H : ehan (kaa), eh? (hae), maehanga 



{mUhanga), maehara {mahara). aeho {aho), poeho (poho) ; and 



sometimes (as printed) after H : heanga (lianga) — but this last may 



be only a case of the modified H, which will be dealt with below. 



EI for A : eitil {atua). 



I for A : puti (puta), eringi {erangi), iki (ika), mehori {mahora), 



wihine (wahine). 

 I for E : mi {me, conj.), ti {fe, art.). 

 / for : rari {raro), korihiii {korohiti). tiri {tiro). 

 I for f/.-f tnatl {matil), likamata {tukemafa). 

 I inserted between two vowels : kaiore {kaore). 

 I inserted before or after H : piiha {puha), hiaka {haka) — but the 



latter may be a case of modified H. 

 for A .'"f mahoro and mohoro {mahora), tokoto {takoto), thoTi {mUoa). 

 for E :^ to {te, art.). 



for I : toki {tiki), tango {tavgi), pororo {porori). 

 for U :% tongo {tokv). 

 for OU : kotaa (koatou). 



for UA:i akonei {akuanei), aoreka {ahuareka). 

 for WA : rao {raiva), manao {manawa). 

 for WE : tvao {ivawe), kao {kawe), makao {makawe). 

 U for A : »r' {ara)., hvnau {whanaa). 

 U for E : tn {te. art.), hanfi {whenna). 

 U for / .• t k)i {ki, ])re[).), huini {muri). 

 U for : kanei {konei). 

 U for OA : mrin (maoa). 



* The Maori form is given in brackets. 



t Cases of this occur in some dialects of Maori. 



J This occurs in Marcjuisan. 



§ This occurs also in Rarotongan and Mangarevan. 



14— Trans. 



