282 PHILOLOGY. 



peculiarity of the Polynesian tongues : if a person is relating that he had on some occa- 

 sion, avowed himself to have done an act, he would say " owau atu la hoi au," " I I-ed 

 to him," for " I told him that it was I ;" the pronoun owau is used as a verb, which is 

 denoted by the directive and locative particles atu la, here translated " to him ;" hoi 

 means properly also, but is employed often as a mere word of affirmation, like indeed, 

 verily. Another example is " owai ta mea papule ie o outou?" " who has a straw hat 

 among you ?" where papale-ie, straw hat, is used as a sort of compound verbal adjec- 

 tive, who is the straw-hatted person among you ? 



72. When the nominative to a verb is a pronoun, it frequently 

 precedes the verb ; when it is a noun, it more commonly follows. In 

 the latter case the usual order of the words is first, the sign of the 

 tense, or affirmative particle (or, in its place, some conjunction, or 

 connecting adverb, or interrogative) ; secondly, the verb ; thirdly, 

 the qualifying adverb ; fourthly, the verbal directive ; fifthly, the 

 locative particle; sixthly, the relative particle; seventhly, the 

 nominative, with or without the article before it. It should be 

 observed, however, that the relative and locative particles are rarely 

 used together. 



Te huhu roa mai nei te atua, Haw., God is very angry ; ua fai atu ai letasi tayata, 

 Sam., a certain man said thereupon. 



73. By a peculiar construction, these languages frequently use 

 an oblique case in the place of the nominative. 



Samoan : E a latou e fasi oti iate ia, and they shall kill him (theirs it shall be to kill 

 him). E a Heroda na ia taqft Joane, Herod had seized John (Herod's it was to seize 

 John). E moni o lau tefai atu nei au iate outou, verily I say unto you, here all that 

 follows lou is considered as a noun with which lou agrees, and the sentence might be 

 rendered " true is my saying to you ;" the repetition of the au, for I, in the latter part of 

 the sentence is merely for emphasis, and might be dispensed with. 



Tongan : ko eku tola mooni atu kiate kimoutolu, verily I say unto you (my true 

 speaking unto you is, &c.) In this language, however, the construction does not pre- 

 vail to the same extent as in the others. 



New Zealand : maim ana anahera e mea, he shall tell his angels (of him it shall be 

 to tell his angels). Man e koropiko, thou shall worship (lit. thine to worship). Maim 

 ratou e wakaora, he healed them. Heaha ta koutou e tu mayere, why stand ye idle ? 

 (wherefore is your standing idle ?) Ai a ratou e haere atu ana, and when they went 

 (and at their going). 



Rarotongan : na ratou e tapa iaia kia Emanuela, and they shall call him Emanuel 

 (theirs it shall be to call, &c.) Ko taau e tapa atu ko Jesu, thou shall call him 

 Jesus (thine to call him Jesus). E naau i tuku mai iaku, and thou gavest me (thine it 

 was to give me). 



Tahitian : na Heroda hoi i tapea ia Joane, for Herod had bound John ; nana efaaamu 

 i tou nei taata, he shall feed my people. 



Hawaiian : na te atua i aloha mai itote ao, God so loved Ihe world ; (to te ao is here 



