398 
AFFINITY OF WORDS. 
think it sounds like ru-ru, and so it is called ; but although 
in this instance there is so much difference, yet in many 
others there may be a remarkable resemblance of thought, 
and we may meet with similar words in most remote languages, 
which are evidently derived from sound ; thus, in New Zealand, 
the beautiful word ha-ru-ru is taken from the shaking or vi- 
bratory sound of water, the noise of the surf ; ha, the breath, 
is the natural aspiration ; ru, the simple word to shake, and 
the re- duplication increases its power ; ru has thus naturally 
become the term for an earthquake, which has a similar 
motion to that of a wave. In general, however, it must be 
evident, that when similar words, which cannot be traced to 
sound, occur, there must have been some previous connec- 
tion of the languages, although the remembrance of it may 
have long since passed away. A most interesting word is 
taki, to track ; it appears remarkable that these two words, 
which are not very dissimilar in sound, should both alike 
possess two very different meanings ; taki being to hawl a 
canoe by a line, which is likewise the legitimate meaning 
of the English word ; taki is also to trace or track a man by 
his footmarks, and so is the English word to track; both 
also mean a track made by footsteps ; this resemblance 
can scarcely be a chance one. Haere, to go, is another ; 
it is the same in Latin, ire, with a like signification, so 
in the Old English, hie ; hiegan, Saxon ; allez, French. 
The word pat a, to patter as rain, or drop as water, is 
another, which seems to present a singular resemblance 
to the European one ; from pata may be derived the word 
patu, to batter or strike, and the French battu ; tu also 
signifies to strike ; and here again we have the same in tue, 
French, to kill, and the Greek tottw ; and again in tutu, 
when one stands against another as an adversary. Ta 
implies mildness, but tu intensity, to strike, hence pata is 
converted into patu, to express war. 
To give one more instance, from u, the nipple of the 
breast, to which the infant clings for its support, is de- 
rived to hold ; the canoe, when it touches the land, is said 
to u, or hold the land ; hence uta the shore ; from u to hold, 
