EFATE AND VITI AND POLYNESIA. 37 



We now proceed to the examination of the consonant scheme of 

 the two languages. They thus appear in the diagram: 



Efate. Viti. 



Semivowels y r, 1 w y r, 1 w 



Nasals ng n m ng n m 



«*-te:::::::::::::::::::= 7 =7 



w— {ST:::::::::::::::::::*^ ? --- 



Miitw / Sonant g — b ngg nd mb 



Mutes \Surd k t — k t — 



(kw-bw-kb) 

 (ngm-ngw-mw) 

 ts 

 tr 



The constant consonants are ng, k, I, n, s, m; the constant muta- 

 tion is f-v. It does not seem advisable, in the limited supply of 

 data, to essay the quantitative weighting of the mutations; but in 

 qualitative examination it seems altogether permissible to deduce 

 a scheme of the consonant skeleton of the common ancestor from 

 which derive the Efate and the Melanesian component of Viti. This 

 we shall designate the Efate- Viti parent speech, and for convenience 

 shall refer to it by initials E-V. In this diagram we present in each 

 triple entry the Efate consonant at the left, the parent in bold-face 

 type, the Viti at the right: 



Efate-Parent- Viti. 



r-r-r, 1 

 1-1-1 

 tr-r-ndr 



ng-ng-ng n-n-n m-m-m 



dh-dh-dh b-v-v 



(ch) — f-f-v 



g-g-ngg t-d-nd b-b-mb 



k-k-k t-t-t b-p-mb 



The characteristic Melanesian compounds, kw-bw-kb, ngm-ngw-mw, 

 and ts are left unplaced in reference to E-V by reason of the fact 

 that this particular group of data affords no opportunity to link them 

 to the known physics of the Viti consonant structure. Abundant 

 material for their intimate study will be afforded us later in the work. 

 For the present, our comments on the results thus far attained shall 

 be summary; the discussion will properly follow upon the similar 

 analysis of the remaining data, so much more voluminous. 



If we examine the diagram attentively we note the particular 

 features in which the offspring equally favor the parent. In the 

 upper portion the resemblance is perfect; the nasals and sibilants 

 are the same; so, in effect, are the semivowels; so the sonant lin- 

 gual spirant, and of the surd mutes the palatal and the lingual. In 



