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THE EISA WAHILL 



the latter, although Mr Cooley (Geography of 

 N'yassi, p. 20) asserts the contrary. The me- 

 tastasis, however, appears to me often arbitrary, 

 occasioning trouble, e. g. when ku ria (to eat) 

 becomes ku Ha (to weep). Dr Livingstone, 

 (chap. xxx. Eirst Expedition) complains of 

 Loangoa, Luenya, and Bazizulu being trans- 

 formed into Arroangoa, Ruanha, and Morusurus, 

 but he also similarly errs when he converts Karag- 

 wah into Kalagwe, and when (p. 266) he uses 

 indifferently Maroro and Maloli. The E, is often 

 inserted pleonastically, to prevent hiatus, as Ku 

 potera for Ku potea, to lose ; Ku pakira for Ku 

 pakia, to pack. Sometimes, again, it is omitted, 

 as U'ongo for Urongo, a lie. In pronouncing it 

 the tongue tip must Vbe more vibrated than in 

 our language, which loves to slur over the 

 sound. Aspirated consonants are found, as in 

 Sanskrit, especially B'h, P'h, D'h, T'h, K'h, and 

 G'h. Quiescent consonants are rare in the middle 

 of words ; thus the Arabic Mismar (a nail) is 

 changed to Misumari, and treble are unknown. 

 There are only five peculiar sounds 1 which are 



1 These are 



1. B — an emphatic and explosive perfect-mute, formed by 

 compressing the lips apparently to the observer's eye. 



2. D — which is half T, formed somewhat like the Arabic 

 Ta (^) by touching the lower part of the central upper incisors 



