DATA AND NOTES. 191 



44. 

 taku na, the back. 



Viti: ndaku, the back. 



Epi: taka, the back. Malo: tura, id. Motu: ndolu, id. 

 Ethiopic: dahr, posterior part ; dahari, the last; dahara, to be after, 

 to be behind. Arabic: fahr', the back. 



Dr. Macdonald finds kinship with Samoan tua the back. Neither that 

 nor the Malo and Motu identifications can be sanctioned. 



EFATE-MELANESIAN-VITI-MALAY-SEMITIC. 



45- 

 bisa, fisa, basa, to speak. 



Nukuoro: pasa, to speak. Fotuna: visau, id. 



Viti: nosa, to speak. 



Sesake: vasa, to speak. Nggela: bosa, id. 



Malay: bacha, to read, recite, chant; basa, voice, speech. Tagalog: 



basa, to speak. 

 Arabic: nabasa, to speak, to peep or chirp; nabsat' , a word. 



An interesting suite, all the more because of the sparsity of the occur- 

 rence of the stem in each of the provinces. The proposed Semitic affinity 

 contains at least one element which is not found at all in the Sawaiori. 



46. 



kan i, kanikani, to eat; kanien, food. 



Viti: kana, kania, to eat; vakania, to feed, to cause to eat; 

 veikanikani, devouring one another; kani, laukana, edible. 



Melanesia, all signifying to eat — Marina, Tubetube, Galavi, Boniki, 

 Mukawa: kani. Sesake: ganikani. Galoma: ganigani. 



Belaga, Sinaugoro: gani. Rubi: gania. Gog, Merlav: gan. 

 Nggela: gana, ganigi. Mota: ganagana. Retan, Lo, Mota, 

 Maewo: gangan. Duke of York: wangan. Leon, Sasar: gen. 

 Vuras : gengen. Ambrym : ngene. Nguna : ngani. Ambrym : 

 ngene. Gog: ngongot. Buka: nan, nanni, tuanan, iana 

 (restricted to cannibal eating). Duke of York, Roro, Uni, 

 Pokau, Kabadi, Motu, Hula, Tavara, Awalama, Taupota, Wedau : 

 ani. Mekeo: angi. Keapara: hani. Sariba: kai. Suau, 

 Mabuiag : ai. Dobu : c'ai. Kabadi : ania. New Britain : 

 an, ian. 



Malay: makan, to eat. Malagasy: hunt ana, hanina, id. Togean: 

 mokonie, id. 



Arabic: 'akala, to eat; 'akxV , messmate. Hebrew: 'akal, to eat. 



Although the alternative form nganikani points (see note 117) to a 

 Polynesian stock, it is impossible to link kani with the Polynesian kai to 

 eat. While the omission of a medial consonant sometimes takes place, and 

 in the tabulation of the phonetic results we have a solitary example in 

 inum (32 1 ) to drink Marina o'omia, yet if it were far more common it would 



