122 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



and absurdity by stating tbat tana a/rahato putran lagou Tcalangu, ' ' they 

 cut a bole from tbe back of tbe bouse," whicb, Avitb 'n-alls of pandanus 

 leaves, could vexy easily be done. 



Again, in !5Iark, v. 38, tbe pbrase wbicb is inEnglisb '-tbem tbat 

 wept and wailed greatly," and in Lifu, angate a iluilu me iteijen me 

 teije-lceleq^'e, is translated into Saibai as, mura raai adan, a maino 

 liunaran paruia nidizb, all sbed tears and made mourning witb fore- 

 heads of lime. In tbe islands of Mabuiag and Tud, mourners cover 

 tbeir bodies witb a mud or paste made fi'om crusbed coral. (See 

 Haddon, "Etbnograpby," in Joum. Antb. Inst., xix., pp. 403, 416.) 

 Anotber curious pbrase gives us a picture of tbe sick native running 

 to tbe missionary or teacber for gougu, "pbysic." It occurs in tbe 

 leper's appeal (Mark, i. 40), sike uhinemepa ngidaig ngona lutupatan 

 gougnan aima, "if thou wilt, tbou canst cleanse me, making pbysic." 

 Jairus is made to say (Mark, v. 23), hapuza ngi ngapa-uzar nginu getii 

 nahepa gamutariz a gouguan mani, a na igiletiga^ "a good tbing tbou 

 come, tby fiwger toucb ber, and bring pbysic and sbe lives." 



In Mark, viii., "Peter took bim," is translated: '■'■ Petelu dimunu 

 pagean, Peter pincbed him. A passage, similar to those here given, 

 occurs in tbe Miriam Gospels (Mark, xv. 16). Gair polmnan le^uhebi 

 metaem tegared, nei Praitorio a polisman nosik taraisare ; tbe policemen 

 took Jesus to a little house, name Praetorium, and bring a band 

 (i.e. a row) of policemen. In tbe Straits tbe policemen stationed on 

 each island are the representatives of authority. 



As the Miriam Gospels were revised by the English missionaries, 

 such phrases would no doubt be modified, but they have escaped 

 notice in tbe unknown and unrevised Saibai version. 



In tbe following grammar, examples from the Gospel are unmarked. 

 "Words and phrases from Macgillivray are marked (ir), and from 

 Sharon (s), MacGregor (b). 



BiaUcts. 



It is extremely difficult to define tbe dialectical differences in tbe 

 speech of the western islanders of the Straits. There are certainly 

 variations in pronunciation and enunciation, and these have caused 

 various travellers to spell the same words in different ways. There is 

 also, to some extent, a difference in tbe words used : — 



1. Kauralaig. — In this division tbe natives of Muralug have been 



