The Personal Pronouns, 5 



the real kernel of the pronoun {ku) sometimes almost 

 disappears, and is found represented either by a pure 

 contraction of itself alone as a, 1, or a mixed contraction of 

 itself and prefixed demonstrative n, as ni, I. Still keeping 

 to the Fatese, we find for the plural in one dialect nikam, 

 We (for niku and m), in another ki nayni (for ki nakw and 

 m), in a third agani (for aku and m), and in a fourth komam 

 {koma, the plural, and m empliatic). In the first two n 

 appears, but not in the last two. Exactly so in Malagasy, 

 where, however, the n appears only in the plural, thus 

 separate pronoun, izahay, We {ahay for aku, and u plural 

 ending), and nominal sufiix nay (for nakw and u, as Fate 

 nami is for naku and m). 



12. Kelationship. 



In affirming that the Oceanic pronoun is Shemitic, I use 

 the words as they are used when it is said that the Arabic 

 is Shemitic, by which, of course, it is not meant that the 

 Arabic is derived from the Hebrew or Phenician, but from 

 the same mother-tongue as the Hebrew and Phenician. 



13. First, then, the simple or original Oceanic pronouns 

 given above, § 5, of the first, second, and third persons, are 

 purely Shemitic. Thus (see the standard grammars — 

 Hebrew, Arabic, Ethiopic, Assyrian, especially Dillmann, 

 "Grammatik derEthiopischeSprache," § Qo) in theShemitic — 



I is ku or ki {u and i interchanged) 



Thou ta, ka {t and k interchanged) 

 He is u (i in verbal pronoun) 

 (She is i) 



The last (u) alone is apparently slightly differently pro- 

 nounced in Oceanic, as i or e or y, as in English county ; 

 but see this accounted for below, § 24, note a. 



Again, the m and u plural endings or inflections of these 

 Oceanic pronouns, §§ 6, 8, are purely Shemitic. Thus (see 

 Green, Hebrew Grammar) there was originally a Hebrew 

 plural of the first person. 



We anum (but now found only as anu) 



Ye atem, Hebrew [kemu, Eth. verbal pronoun) 

 They hum, humu, Arabic 



Compare with these — 



We anam, Espiritu Santo (cf. Fate above) 

 Ye itama, Tanna, Weasisi dialect 

 They eovu, Anudha, mu Ambrym 



