PRONUNCIATION OF GUAM NAMES. 171 



and o, as may be seen in the name for sugar cane, written "tupu" by 

 some authorities and " tupo " by others. The diphthong ai pronounced 

 like the English i is also frequently confused with ae, the name for 

 bread fruit being written either " lemae" or " lemai." The circumflex 

 accent placed over a vowel indicates that it is pronounced gutturally. 

 For a more complete account of the language of the island the reader 

 is referred to The Chamorro Language of Guam, by William Edwin 

 Safford. Reprinted from the American Anthropologist, new series, 

 vols. 5, 6, and 7. 1903, 1904, and 1905. 



In Samoan names the apostrophe (') before a vowel or between 

 vowels marks the position of an original Polynesian k, and is indicated 

 in speaking by a break in the continuity of the vowel sound. Thus 

 the Tongan "kava" {Piper methysticum) and "muka,"an adjective 

 applied to tender young leaves, become in Samoan '"ava" and 

 "mu'a;" and the Tongan "faki," signifying "to break off fruit from 

 a bunch," becomes in Samoa "fa'i," the name for "banana." 



Except where otherwise indicated in the text, the matter given 

 under "references," including the critical notes, is the work of Mr. 

 W. F. Wight, and the authorship of the new names is therefore to be 

 accredited to him. 



Aaban or Aabang (Guam). 



A species of Eugenia, the hard, close-grained, durable wood of which is much used 

 in construction on the island of Guam. 

 Abaca or Abaka (Philippines). See Musa textilis. 

 Abas (Guam). 



Local name, derived from the Spanish "guayaba," for the guava (Psidium 

 guajava). 



Abelm.osch.us esculentus. Okra. Ochra. 



Family Malvaceae. 



Local names. — Gumbo (Louisiana); Guingambo (Porto Rico); Quingombo 

 (Mexico); Quimbombo (Spanish); Saju (Panama). 

 An annual plant, indigenous to the West Indies, but introduced in cultivation 

 into all tropical and subtropical countries. Stems hairy; leaves alternate, cordate, 

 toothed, 3 to 5-lobed, scabrous on both sides, on long petioles; pedicels axillary, 

 shorter than the petiole; calyx surrounded by an involucel of 9 to 12 linear decidu- 

 ous leaves; petals yellow, with reddish claws; capsule oblong-lanceolate, hairy, 

 5-celled; cells many-seeded. 



The young green mucilaginous capsules are used for thickening soup and are pickled 

 like capers. Like many other Malvaceae, the plant yields a strong, silky fiber, and 

 this is used in certain parts of India in the manufacture of cordage, sacking, and paper. 

 See Okra, under Gardens. 

 References: 

 Abelmoschus esculentus (L. ) Moench, Meth. 617. 1794. 

 Hibiscus esculentus L. Sp. PL 2: 696. 1753. 

 Abrus abrus. Coral-bead vine. Plate xxxi. 



Family Fabaceae. 



Local names. — Kolales halom-tano (Guam); Sagasaga (Philippines) ; Matamata- 

 moso (Samoa); Pepitio (Tahiti); Peronia (Porto Rico) ; Wild licorice (India); 

 Indian licorice (Australia); Crabs-eye seeds (West Indies); Jequirity (Brazil). 



