TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Chapter I. The Problem of Melanesia i 



Inosculation of the Melanesian and the Polynesian languages and the determi- 

 nation of values therein. — The position of Melanesia. — Viti an area of the 

 mingling of the two stocks.— Polynesia has charmed and Melanesia revolted 

 their discoverers; our acquaintance with the latter therefore falls short of 

 our knowledge of the former. — Islands of the Polynesian verge. — Polyne- 

 sian inclusions. — Languages which borrow. 



Chapter II. The Dictionary of Efati 5 



Most of the accessible vocabularies are very scanty. — Only three Melanesian 

 dictionaries, those of Mota, Efate, and Viti, are at all considerable. — The 

 development of Macdonald's theory of Semitic origin. — His Efate 

 dictionary and its false lexicography. — Some words hidden from sight. — 

 Clumsiness in the definition. — Introduction of polemic dishonesty. — His 

 false etymology. — No clear distinction of several dialects. 



Chapter III. Sawaiori Migrations 13 



Paucity of our knowledge of the Melanesian origins. — They may be autoch- 

 thons. — There are two principal theories of Polynesian migrations. — The 

 sieve theory and the argument of Thilenius in its behalf. — A spurious tale 

 of seven times seven retailed by Deeken. — The general migration theory. — 

 Tregear's statement that this is the commonly accepted hypothesis. — -Percy 

 Smith in its support. — A fallacy into which Thilenius has been led. — Per- 

 sisting memories of an inferior race once encountered. — The log of one of 

 the great voyages. 



Chapter IV. The First Polynesian Home 25 



A race always under an eastward momentum. — No positive statement of the 

 place of origin possible. — Bopp proposed an Aryan source. — Max Mtiller 

 connected it with the Turanian stock. — Logan regarded the Ganges valley 

 as the ancient home. — Macdonald's Semitic theory of a great and widely 

 diffused Oceanic language set forth at large. 



Chapter V. Dissection of the Theory 31 



The result of independent treatment of the data should be identical. — As the 

 other elements have long been known and carefully studied, the Melane- 

 sian is the critical test. — The computation of exactly what material is now 

 made available for study. — In what proportion the Efate vocabulary con- 

 tributes to the solution of the problem and the manner in which properly 

 it may be employed. 



Chapter VI. Efate" and Viti and Polynesia 35 



Comparison of the vowels of the Melanesian element of Efate and Viti. — The 

 establishment of consonantal variety . — Assumption of a parent speech from 

 which these deviate. — Viti appears to be the younger son. — The compar- 

 ison continued through the Sawaiori element of Viti. — Viti, Samoan, and 

 their parent speech, the Proto-Samoan. — Comparison of Efate" with Poly- 

 nesia and summation of results. — The extent to which Efatd identifications 

 penetrate into Polynesia. — Argument from recorded anomalies. — It is im- 

 probable that Efat£ received its Polynesian content through westward drift 

 of castaways. — Proof that this element came through the migration of the 

 Proto-Samoan wanderers. — Check-list of Polynesian phonetic mutations. 



VII 





