378 



PHILOLOGY. 



It does not appear that there is any difference of meaning (with one exception) in these 

 suffixes, nor is there any mode of determining the proper suffix of any particular verb, 

 except from usage. Sometimes a word which has two or more acceptations, takes a 

 different suffix for each, as, tau, taura, to take, tau, tauSa, to gather or pluck, tau, 

 tauva, to cleave to. So royo, ror/oa, to hear, and rogotakina, to preach. But frequently the 

 same suffix is joined to verbs which, though sounded alike, are evidently different words ; 

 lia, to steal, and lia, to inquire, both make HdSa. Moreover, the same word sometimes 

 takes two or more affixes with no change of meaning ; thus, mboso, to cut, has mbosoka, 

 mbosolakina, and mbosorakina. 



The exception mentioned above is in the case of vakina, or va?ina, which is said (in 

 the Somusomu grammar) to have sometimes the meaning of acting or doing for, or on 

 account of another, as, au sorova'ina ea, I pray for him, au lolova'ina ea, I fast for him, 

 au la'ava'ina, I go for him, or on his account. It will be observed that, in this case, 

 the suffix does not change its final vowel before the pronoun. It has not, however, 

 always this meaning, as yatovakina, which means " to omit the k in speaking" (like the 

 people of Somusomu). 



These transitive suffixes seem to be the same as those that in the Polynesian serve as 

 signs of the passive. [See Comp. Gram. 56.] What makes this almost certain is the 

 fact that in those cases where the Vitian verb is of Polynesian origin, its transitive suffix 

 usually corresponds with the passive suffix of the same verb in Polynesian, at least, as 

 we find it in the dialect of New Zealand, which has retained this part of the language 

 more complete than the other dialects. Sometimes the Samoan and Tongan also coincide, 

 as will be seen in the following examples : 



VITIAN VERB. 



vakatu, to erect 

 vakatumbu, to cause to grow 

 vakamate, to kill 

 siki, to lift up 



kini, to pinch 

 vaSu, to strike 

 umbiumbi, to cover 

 keli, to dig 

 unu, to drink 



TRANSITIVE. 



vakatura 

 vakatumbura 

 vakamatea 

 sikita 



kinita 



vaSuka 



umbiumbia 



kelia 



unuma 



POLYNESIAN. 



wakatu (N. Z.) 

 waltatupu (N. Z.) 

 wakamate (N. Z.) 

 hiki (N. Z. and Tong.) 

 [also sz'z, Sam. 

 kini (N. Z.) 

 patu (N. Z.), to knock 

 ufiufi (Sam.) 

 keri (N. Z.) 

 inu (N. Z.) 



wakaturia, 



wakalupuria 



wakamatea 



hikitia 



si'itia] 



kinitia 



patukia 



uftufia 



keria 



inumia 



THE PASSIVE. 



There is, in the Vitian, no especial formation to express the passive voice. When the 

 passive in English is followed by an ablative of the agent, this, in Vitian, would become 

 the nominative, as, " ye shall be hated by all men," is rendered, e na Sati kemundou a 

 lor/a tainata vakaandua, all men shall hate you. In other cases, the form is the. same 

 as in the active, the subject being put in the objective after the verb, and some nominative 

 equivalent to the French on being apparently understood, as, ka na kaSivi koikoia, and 

 he shall be called, lit. [people] shall call him ; e na mbiuti ra ki Kiena, and they shall 



