344 FEEJEE GROUP. 



nesia ; but this arose from a superficial acquaintance with it. for on 

 close study they became satisfied that their original impressions had 

 been prematurely adopted, and they are now satisfied that it is no 

 more than a branch from the great root whence all the Polynesian 

 languages are derived. 



Originality and boldness appear to be the characteristics of the 

 Feejee tongue. It has been found to be extremely copious, for a 

 vocabulary of five thousand six hundred words has been already 

 compiled, and still much remains to be accomplished. It furnishes 

 distinctive names for every shrub and every kind of grass the islands 

 yield ; the names for various kinds of yam amount to more than fifty ; 

 each species of taro and banana has its distinctive appellation ; and 

 there are words for every variety of cocoa-nut, as well as for every 

 stage of its ripeness, from the bud to the mature fruit. 



Words may be found to express every disease to which the body is 

 liable, as well as every emotion of the mind. 



The most delicate shades of meaning may be expressed ; thus, 

 there are no less than five words equivalent to our "foolishness," 

 each of which has its peculiar signification. 



The superlative degree of adjectives is expressed in six or seven 

 different ways ; but all of these are not used at any one place, and 

 this constitutes one of the features to which the differences in dialect 

 are to be ascribed. These differences, however, are only verbal and 

 not idiomatic, and are marked by an omission of letters. 



According to the missionaries, at Rewa and in its neighbourhood 

 the language is spoken in its greatest purity. The difference of dialect 

 was experienced by our parties in places, which rendered it difficult 

 at times to communicate with the natives, but this was apparently 

 confined to small districts. The natives themselves say, that the 

 language of those dwelling on the west end of Vitilevu, is different 

 from that which is generally spoken in the group. At the island of 

 Malolo, which lies off this part of Vitilevu, we found no difficulty, 

 however, in the communications we had with the natives. But this 

 subject will be amply treated in the Philological Department, and on 

 that perhaps I may have trespassed too much already. 



The language has the dual number, and plurals for expressing 

 large and small numbers. It has distinct inclusive and exclusive 

 pronouns, and certain pronouns that are only used in speaking of 

 articles of food. One of its peculiarities is the combination of 

 consonants without the aid of the usual number of vowels ; as, for 



