THE WOMBAT. 



Proposition I. — The Melanesian languages, and to some extent the 

 Polynesian, have forms of the Personal Pronouns which serve to 

 indicate that two, three persons or things are spoken of each 

 time ; and these binal and ternal pronouns contain the common 

 words for ' two ' and ' three.'' 



As may be expected, these words for ' two ' and ' three ' are 

 often so broken down in the pronouns that it is difficult to detect 

 them ; in other cases they are unmistakably manifest. One of the 

 plainest examples is from Fiji, thus : — 







FIJIAN PERSONAL PRONOUNS 









(Nominative Case.) 





Pron 

 1st. 

 2nd. 

 3rd. 



-Singular. 



— Koi-au 



— Ko-iko 



— Ko-koya 





Binal. 

 Koi-keda-ra 

 Koi-kemu-drau 

 Ko-ira-u 



Ternal. 

 Koi-keda-tou 

 Koi-kemu-dou 

 Ko-ira-tou 



Plural. 

 Koi-keda 

 Koi-kemu-ni 

 Ko-ira 



Now in the Binal of these, Iceda is the pronoun ' we,' and it 

 is followed by ru, which is the Fijian numeral rua. ' two ' ; in the 

 third pronoun rua is represented only by u to avoid the 

 cacophony of saying ira-rua ; the second pronoun has drau, which 

 is the Fijian word for ' double ' or ' twin.' In the Ternals of these 

 three pronouns, tou is the Fijian and Polynesian tolu, ' three.' 



Examples from other parts of Melanesia are : — 



(1) ANIVVA, an island of the New Hebrides. 



Pron.-Singular. 



Binal. 



Ternal. 



1st. — Av-au 



Keta-ua 



Ape-kita-tou 



2nd. — A-koi 



Ako-rua 



A-kou-tou 



3rd. — A-ia 



Ki-rua 



A-kra-tou 



Plural, 

 A-kitea 

 A-kou-a 

 A-kre 



(2) MALO, an island of the New Hebrides. 



Pron.-Singular, 

 1st. — I-au 

 2nd. — N-iko 

 3rd. — N-ia 



Binal.! 

 Hida-ka-rua 

 Kamim-ka-rua 

 N-ira-ka-rua 



Ternal, 

 Hida-ka-tolu 

 Kamirn-ka-tolu 

 N-ira-ka-tolu 



Plural. 

 Hida 

 Kamim 

 N-ira 



(3) TANNA (Weasisi Station), an island of the New Hebrides. 



Pron.-Singular. 

 1st. — I-au, iya 

 2nd. — Ik, yik 

 3rd. — In, o'ni 



Binal. 

 Ki-lau 

 Itu-lau 

 I-lau 



Ternal. 

 Kita-hal 

 Itu-ma-hal 

 Ila-hal 



Plural. 

 Kita, yeta 

 Itu-ma 

 Ila, ola, yela 



(4) FUTUNA, an island of the New Hebrides. 



Pron.-Singular. 

 1st, — Av-au 

 2nd. — A-koi 

 3rd. — Eia 



Binal. 

 A-kita-ua 

 A-ko-rua 

 A-kira-ua 



Ternal. 

 A-kita-tau 

 A-kau-tau 

 A-kira-tau 



Plural. 

 A-kity 

 A-kaua 

 A-kiria 



