INTRODUCTION. xv 



particles which precede the nouns. Adjectives follow their 

 substantives. Pronouns are numerous, and the personal pro- 

 noun includes four numbers, singular, dual, trinal, and general 

 plural, also inclusive and exclusive. Almost any word may be 

 made into a verb by using with it the verbal particles. The 

 differences in these particles in the various languages are very 

 great. In the verbs there are causative, intensive, frequenta- 

 tive, and reciprocal forms.' 



With one exception the sounds found in theSawaiori languages 

 may be expressed by the Roman letters, with their ordinary 

 values. This exception is a sound which we call a break a kind 

 of a pause in the breath, which is between an aspirate and a . 

 A k sound takes its place in some of the languages. In those 

 languages in which this sound occurs we usually write it by a 

 comma inverted, as in the name Hawai'i. The vowel sounds 

 are all simple, as in Spanish. Every syllable is open. To this 

 there is no exception. Some words consist entirely of vowels. 

 Phonetic changes have taken place according to law, so that a 

 given word in one language may have its form in any other 

 language, if it be found in it predicated. As a rule the accent 

 is on the penultimate syllable, but in a few cases (chiefly when 

 the last syllable ends in a diphthong or a long vowel, which is 

 really a double vowel) on the ultimate. Very rarely, in some 

 languages the accent may be on the antepenult. There is an 

 indefinite as well as a definite, and in some cases a plural, 

 article. But some nouns are formed from the verb by taking a 

 suffix, and some adjectives are formed from the noun in the same 

 Avay. There is some variety in the way of indicating number 

 in the noun. In Samoa many nouns have special plural forms. 

 The cases are indicated by prepositions. Proper names in the 

 nominative cases take a prefix, as Tahiti, Samoa, etc. Ad- 

 jectives follow the substantives. The pronouns are numerous. 

 Personal pronouns are singular, dual, and plural. The form 

 of the plural in some languages shows that it was originally a 

 trinal. In the verbs the distinctions of tense, mood, and voice 

 are indicated by particles prefixed and affixed. Xumber anil 



