Tregear. — The Aryo-Semitic Maori. 403 



Malay resemble Maori in sound and sense, therefore, say the 

 "high and dry" people, this is good enough to prove connec- 

 tion between these peoples. There is no proof that Malay dua, 

 "two," is the Maori rua, "two," except sound-likeness; but if 

 the student, conceding relationship, goes further, and expresses 

 the opinion that the Aryan dua, "two," is also a near connec- 

 tion, there is a shriek of horror from the classical linguists. 

 The grammarian cries "Impossible!" — quite ignoring the 

 fact that rules of grammar mark mere stages in the progress 

 of a language, and that modern English grammar is as far 

 away from Sanscrit or old Latin as the Malay grammar is from 

 the Maori, and that is a " far cry." For every Malay word 

 traceable in the Maori vocabulary, the student can find twenty 

 Polynesian words in the German Dictionary. 



The objection that I split up a Native word as I choose is 

 one that I defend, if in doing so I can prove that the probable 

 radix appears more distinctly in that form. A greater or less 

 complexity may be allowed to roots ; but the more simple the 

 form we use, the more we surrender the meanings possible to 

 be expressed. I do not consider that the division according to 

 the Native mode of so dividing a word would be the best way 

 in which to arrive at the primal significance. Thus, if we take 

 the word patu, "to strike," I consider that it may be treated 

 under three distinct radical forms: that is, either as the third 

 root VPAT, "to strike;" or, as the second, the more simple 

 \/PA, "to touch; or perhaps its most primitive form, -/A, 

 "to urge," "to drive." Whatever may be the vowel of direction 

 or modification used to close the syllable in Polynesian fashion, 

 the sound of \/PAT or \/PAK (the true dialectical interchange) 

 carries the sense of "striking," "knocking," "pattering," 

 "patting," " breaking," etc., in patu, pata, patoto, patiti, patoto, 

 pakaku, pakanga, pakaru, paketu, paki, pakini, pakunu, and pakuru. 

 The sister-words in the Islands are multitudinous, but need not 

 be quoted. I think this argument shows that, in spite of the 

 natural divisions of a Polynesian word into distinct syllables, 

 each ending with a vowel, a radical sense may extend itself over 

 words like pata, " to drip" like water; ripi, " to cut ;" mano, "the 

 heart" (mental, not physical), manaiva, "the heart;" mana, 

 "influence, authority;" maru, "bruised;" kite, "to see, per- 

 ceive," which would allow them to be referred to similar roots 

 to those given (Appendix, Skeat's " Etymological Dictionary") 

 as Aryan roots : such as V PAT, " to fall," -/ RUP, "to break," 

 V MAR, " to grind," V MAN, " to think," V KIT, " to perceive," 

 etc. 



Mr. Atkinson scores one point against me fairly enough : 

 that in which he shows that my comparison of kiri, "the skin," 

 with our curry, " to dress hides," is wrong. He does this on 

 the authority of Professor Skeat, who states that curry comes 



