THE LANGUAGES OF THE NEW HEBRIDES. 103 
general character these languages are very similar to those of the 
Solomon Islands. The Epi and Malekula dialects, though locally 
not far removed from those of Efate, contain notable differences, 
especially in the verbal forms. 
In Espiritu Santo, Whitsuntide Island, Lepers’ Island and 
Aurora, the languages though distinct are not very dissimilar. 
The Santo dialects, to some extent, form a connecting link between 
these and the Efatese. 
The language of Ambrym alone among those of the northern 
islands is difficult to connect, but, as it is the least known of all, 
many of its difficulties may disappear upon closer knowledge. 
Polynesian languages are spoken on the islands of Futuna and 
Aniwa in the south of the New Hebrides group, and at Mae or 
Three Hills, Mele, and Fila in the Central district. Aniwa and 
Futuna, though purely Polynesian in vocabulary, are strangely 
different in grammar. Their complex and numerous forms, though 
showing no community of origin, appear to be imitations of Tanna 
expressions. The languages of Mae and Mele, are very nearly 
pure Maori. 
The following classification is founded upon the grammatical 
structure of the languages and not upon the vocabulary alone, 
though the latter has necessarily been considered in the distinction 
of dialects. It will be advisable here to point out the leading 
features of grammar in each part of the group, reserving details 
for separate treatment. 
1. Nouns:—All the languages agree in the distinction of nouns 
by means of demonstrative particles which may be called articles. 
In the Southern division, the article often coalesces with the noun, 
and in Tanna it is said to be inseparable, without destroying the 
meaning. With common nouns the article is some form of the 
syllable na (ne, ni, in, no, nu, n ). Inthe north, a is sometimes 
found as an article used with common nouns. A personal article 
a is also found in the north and south, but does not appear in Epi 
and Efate. 
