xv i 1NTR OD UCTION. 



person are generally regarded as accidents of the subject and 

 not of the verb. To this, however, the Samoan forms an ex- 

 ception ; in this language many of the words have a special 

 plural form. In all the languages there is a causative, which is 

 formed by a prefix to the verb. There are also intensive or 

 frequentative and reciprocal forms of the verbs. The intensive 

 consists usually in a repetition of the active verb ; the reciprocal 

 is usually formed by both a prefix and postfix. Verbal directive 

 particles are freely used to direct towards, away from, or aside. 

 In some languages especially in that of Samoa many cere- 

 monious words are used to persons of rank. Words which 

 form part of the name of a chief are often disused during his 

 life, and in some places they are disused after his death. 



' In the Tarapon language,' says Mr. Whitmee, ' consonants 

 are used more freely than in the Sawaiori languages. They 

 have some consonantal sounds which are not found in the latter, 

 such as ch, dj, and sh, which may perhaps be regarded as inter- 

 mediate between the Sawaiori and Papuan, although not nearly 

 so strong as in the latter. Closed syllables are by no means 

 rare. Occasionally double consonants are used, but there is a 

 tendency to introduce a slight vowel sound between them. In 

 all of these particulars there is an approximation to the Papuan. 

 Most words take the accent on the penult. In some of the 

 Tarapon languages there appears to be no true article. Gender 

 is sexual only. Number in the noun is either gathered from 

 the requirements of the sense or is marked by pronominal words 

 or numerals. Case is known by the position of the noun in the 

 sentence, or by prepositions.' 



In the language of Ebon, one of the islands in the Marshall 

 Archipelago, nouns have the peculiarity which I mentioned as 

 being characteristic of the Papuan languages, viz. : those which 

 indicate close relationship, as of a son to his father, or of the 

 members of a person's body, take a pronominal affix, which 

 gives them the appearance of inflections. I do not know of the 

 existence of this peculiarity in any other Tarapon language, but 

 would not make too much of negative evidence. 



