T was a featun-of the onirinal Australian spfec-li as reprpsfiitfd 

 V)y Tasinaiiiaii (Halwts. by tlio.se of Victoria and various other p-irts 



of Tasiiiauiaii is the occurrence of My" in conjuiiction at the bciiin 

 ning of a word, e\idencing perhaps an ancient undecided sound 



Avords as ' lyenna " kaiKjai-oo^ ' lyinneragoo ' to forqft, 'Iveninna' 

 ^'Af^hron-, 'lia' <rnt,',\ serve as illustrations. A Victorian "example 

 is met in ' lyarook " n >r<>ia<vn. The case of ' y ' being thus attixed 

 to ' r is 1 think Just a particular instance of a feature of Tas- 

 niainan phonology not unconnnon in Australia, viz., of what might 

 l)e called the furtiAC -y,' for this letter steals in very frequently 

 after T 't'" and 'n' especially, forming mo?it//(/ consonants. 



r shall begin the cornparison of Tasmanian and Victorian wor is 

 with the particular class whicli first suggested their relationship 

 to me, the words with initial '1.' Why should this class of wordu 

 be a phonological peculiarity marking a group of dialects in south- 

 eastern Australia, spoken in a tract of whicli the northern bound.'iry 

 almost coincides with the Afurray ? Why should this group of 

 dialects be fiedged round landward l^y others distinguished l)y the; 

 absence of this very peculiarity':' Why should words of this 



Papuan inlluence as compared with other pai 

 sure proofs of the Tasmanians having had a c 

 Victorians than to the rest of the Australian i 



