402 



R E xM A R K S 



N 



THE 



MANNERS of vowels; and wlierevcr they met a fibilant, or confonant, which 



to their ear was not fufficicntly euphonic, they immediately fubfti^ 

 tuted another of more eafy pronunciation : Cook was changed intO' 

 ^oote, and George into Teoree. The numerous vowels require a 

 variation of dipthongs and accents, to produce a multiplicity of 

 founds, and a nicety of ear to obferve all thefe little diftindions. 



which often occaiioned 



of the fenfe 



as ai, to 



eat; eai, to copulate; e),yay fifli; dtya, to fte^ or rob; oiyo, a 



noddy 



e-wal, water; and aval, the foot ; a how, a drefs or cloth; 



a hooj a win(J from behind ; and eoo, the breafls ; a dog is called 

 coree ; a nail or iron yiiree ; and the male genitals e-oure. 



The langauge is harmonious, and by no means harfh, when ipoken 

 in a manly manner, at Taheitee ; at Huaheine, feveral people had the 

 habit of pronouncing whatever they fpoke, in a finging manner ; and 

 at the Friendly-illands, the finging tone of voice, in common con- 

 verfation, was flill more frequent, efpecially amongd w^omen. The 

 language of the Taheiteans, feems not deftitute of fome kind of 

 culture, and fhews a degree of civilization ; for they have not only 

 names for conflellations, and fmgle flars, for every plant or grafs, 

 but even for every infedl, for every worm, every fhell, fiih, and bird, 

 haunting their ifle, and frequenting their fliores ; they have names 

 alfo for all the parb of their body, and not only fuch as may be feen, 



but likewife for fuch as cannot be known but from diifedion. 



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