304 LANGUAGE OF NEW ZEALAND. [PART II. 



mankind through all revolutions of history, led on 

 by language, which in deep and intimate connection 

 accompanies it, is the important and comprehensive 

 object of general philology."* 



If a man competent to the task were to trace the 

 Polynesian dialects from island to island, and de- 

 cipher the ancient traditionSj which are contained 

 in the songs and in the mystic invocations of the 

 priests, we should soon have a more correct idea of 

 the connections of these languages, and of the migra- 

 tions of the people themselves. But the dialects 

 are now rapidly altering, in consequence of the more 

 frequent intercourse with foreign nations ; and the 

 traditions in some places, as in Tahiti, the Sand- 

 wich Islands, and New Zealand, are, for the most 

 part, already forgotten. 



In consequence of the general circulation of the 

 translation of the Scriptures, the language has also 

 been greatly remodelled : new conceptions, new ideas, 

 are pouring in upon these simple and interesting 

 islanders, which importantly affect their language. 

 Every day diminishes, therefore, the chance of re- 

 cording the different dialects in their purity, as the 

 possibility of obtaining original pieces of composi- 

 tion, and still more of obtaining a correct explana- 

 tion of them, decreases. In New Zealand, for 

 instance, it is only the old who can give any ac- 

 count of the meaning of certain songs, incantations, 



* Wilhelm von Humboldt, ' Ueber die Ka\vi Sprache auf der 

 Insel Java,' vol. iii., Introd. 



