INTRODUCTION. xvii 



Many words may be indiscriminately used as nouns, adjec- 

 tives, or verbs, without any change of form. In some languages 

 the personal pronouns are singular, dual, and plural. In others 

 there are no special dual forms, but the numeral for two is used 

 to express the dual. In the Ebon language there are inclusive 

 and exclusive forms of the personal pronouns, which, as far as 

 I have at present been able to ascertain, do not occur in the 

 other Tarapon languages. The verbs usually have no inflec- 

 tion to express relations of voice, mood, or tense, number or 

 person, such distinctions being expressed by particles. In the 

 Ebon language, however, the tenses are sometimes marked ; 

 but even in that the simple form of the verb is frequently 

 given. All verbs have directive particles. In Ponape one 

 of the Carolines many words of ceremony are used only to 

 chiefs, exactly as they are used so largely in Samoa. The 

 custom of tabooing Avords Avhich occur in the names of chiefs is 

 also found there. 



It may be useful for any philological readers of Coral Lands 

 if I enumerate the principal Avorks bearing on the languages of 

 the South Sea. 



The first in time and importance is the comparatiA'e sketch 

 of the grammar and dictionary published in the ' United States 

 Exploring Expedition during the years 1838-42, Ethnology 

 and Philology,' A*ol. A'ii., by Horatio Hale, Philologist to the 

 Expedition (Philadelphia, 1846). In this grammar and dic- 

 tionary, Mr. Whitmee remarks, in a paper read before the 

 Philological Society of London, ' Mr. Hale collected together 

 the information Avhich had up to that time been gathered by 

 the missionaries respecting the languages of seA'eral groups. He 

 also carried on independent investigations during his cruise, 

 both in the languages Avhich had been studied by missionaries 

 and in others up to that time unknown. The vast amount of 

 information thus brought together he generalised in a mode- 

 rately full grammar Avhich has up to the present time been the 

 chief standard Avork on the Avhole Malayo-Polynesian (or 

 SaAvaiori) family of languages. His dictionary also has been 



