388 Essays. 



infancy, and never make any mistake in pronunciation. The same may also 

 be said of the writing of the most untaught among them ; with the exception 

 of their elision of terminal and initial vowels, and their division of words. 

 These, however, arise from their close adherence to their quick pronun- 

 ciation. 



42. The language is remarkable for its euphony, simplicity, brevity, clear- 

 ness, and copiousness. Por its euphony, it is not only indebted to its not 

 having two or more consonants coming together, and no word ever ending 

 vnth a consonant, but to the copious use of the vowel i (pronounced ee), to 

 the sound of its semi-liquid r (approaching T), and to several vowels often 

 closely following, together Avith a quick flowing elision of others. Its sim- 

 plicity arises from one word or root being noun, verbal noun, adjective, or 

 verb, requiring merely the addition of a simple short particle, and from the 

 peculiarity of its idiom. It knows of no circumlocution. All long, involved, 

 parenthetical sentences are utterly foreign to it. Its brevity is often quite 

 laconic ; and while exceedingly terse, contains great beauty and power of 

 expression. It is very clear and exact, as shown by its many singular and 

 plural articles, and double dual and double plural pronouns; its various 

 modes of address, according to age, sex, and rank ; and its many intensitive 

 and diminutive particles ; while its copiousness may be readily inferred, 

 from its having proper names for every natural thing however small — differ- 

 ent names for a tree and its fruit, and for every part of a vegetable whether 

 above or below ground, and for young and adult fish of the same species ; 

 for everything made by them, and for each of all its various parts ; for every 

 kind of tattooing, and each line and marking of the same ; and upwards of 

 fifty names for a sweet potato, and forty for a common one. Nevertheless, 

 in words for abstract ideas, unknown to the New Zealanders, such as hope, 

 gratitude, mercy, charity, &c., it is deficient ; as also for many new things. 

 It does not, however, follow, that an intelligent New Zealandei, wishing to 

 speak of any such, would not easily find suitable expressions wherewith to 

 make himself quickly and clearly understood, and convey a very correct idea 

 to the minds of the hearers. The writer has never known an old New Zea- 

 lander, or a young one who knew his own language, to be at a loss accurately 

 and minutely to describe whatever he wished of any new thing or transaction 

 to his countrymen ; at the same time it is believed by him that the New 

 Zealand language is but a remnant of what it once w^as, and is fast going to 

 decay. 



43. There is one peculiarity of their language, or rather of their manner 

 of dealing with it, that requires notice. If a principal chief should bear the 

 name of anything, or be named with any word in common use, that thing 

 would thenceforth, by his own tribe and friends, be called by some other 



