TARAWA. 



437 



NATIVE. 



tie 



kamuimui, kamoimoi 



makaiya 



ara 



akin. 

 Ixtiri 

 MUM 



kiin-iii 

 kinioii 



naoria 



tdinune 



aiir 



tvkntfkti 



koraira 



matu, 



tano, tan 



pirotou 



dtijitt, atip 



taai 



uotta 



neice 



tayitayi 



okua 



tera 



ya 



antai 



The chief differences which will be remarked are (1), the change in the vowels from 

 a broad to a slender sound, as c dai and ode for atai, d(r( for tari, &c. ; (2), the frequent 

 omission of the concluding vowel, as, nay for nayi, mat for mate, yoy for yoyo; (3), the 

 coalescence of the article te with the nouns, as, tat, fire, for te ai, tutut, grass, for te 

 titeute; (4), the shifting of the accent, which is usually thrown back, as amdrak and 

 amarak for amartike, tikimo for te kimoa; (5), the change of consonants of the same 

 class, as, b and p, t and d, v and w, y and n, k, g, and ^, and sometimes those of dif- 

 ferent classes, as r, n, and d. Some discrepancies in the lists must be referred to a 

 difference of dialect between Makin and the southern islands, as tikara, what, for tera; 

 keru, sleep, for matu. 



The grammatical characteristics have been deduced in part from the sentences written 

 down from the pronunciation of the natives, but chiefly from the communications of 

 Kirby. He was a man of considerable intelligence, had married the daughter of the 

 principal chief of Kuria, and had the best opportunities for acquiring a knowledge of the 



110 



