POLYNESIAN GRAMMAR. 281 



In Tahitian, e is the general word for and ; ma is only used with the numerals. 

 In Hawaiian, a connects verbs, a me nouns, ma numerals, and occasionally proper 

 names. Me properly signifies with. 



In Nukuhivan, c connects verbs, and me (with) nouns ; ma is used with the numerals. 



INTERJECTIONS. 



69. The interjections are not very numerous. The only one 

 which merits notice is aue, which seems to be peculiar to the Poly- 

 nesian, and is found in all the dialects. It is used to express grief in 

 all its shades, from a slight feeling of regret or sympathy, to the 

 wildest and most clamorous lamentation. It is constantly heard in 

 their wailing for the dead ; and as each vowel can be drawn out to a 

 great length, with a variety of tones and modulations, it has often a 

 singularly dismal and even painful effect upon the listeners The 

 word is also used both as a noun, meaning sorrow, regret, sympathy, 

 and as a verb, signifying to grieve for, to lament. 



SYNTAX. 



70. Most of the rules of construction have been anticipated in 

 the preceding sections. From the lack of inflections in these dialects, 

 these rules are necessarily few and simple. The following are the 

 most important which remain to be noticed. 



$71. Almost all the words in these idioms, which are the names 

 of things, qualities, or actions, may be used at pleasure, either as 

 nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs, their acceptation being deter- 

 mined by the context and the accompanying particles. 



In Samoan, we have, for example, fulvfttlu, a feather, ua fulufidu ka manu, that 

 bird is feathered ; namu, musquito, ua nanm le fale nei, this house is infested with 

 musquitoes (lit. is musquitoed) ; so loi, ant, ua loia, is anted; po, night, ua poyia, it 

 is flighted, for night is come. Alu vave, go quickly ; ua vave mai le toua, let war 

 hasten hither. Halue, to work ; tayata galue, a laboring man. Tayata ayasala, a 

 sinful man ; latou e ayasala, they who sin ; a outou ayasala, your sins. 



In Tongan, efiafi, evening ; bea efiafi ai, and it was evening. Mamao, far off; fonua 

 mamao, distant country ; ke mamao ia, that it may be far. Lotti kehe, another religion ; 

 taTfota lotu, a religious man ; teu lot.u, I will pray. 



In New Zealand, rakau, a tree, ka rakautia, lit. it is tree'd, i. e., it has become a 

 tree. Takirua, double, takiruatia, doubled. 



In Tahitian, mahana, day, ua mahanahia, it is dayed, i. e. day has appeared. 



In the Hawaiian, an example given by Mr. Andrews shows in a strong light this 



71 



