THE LANGUAGE OF HAWAII. 
BY 
Erasmus Darwin Preston. 
[Read before the Society December 9, 1899 ] 
CONTENTS. 
Page 
I. Introduction. 41 
Geographical limits of languages considered. . 41 
Classification of Oceanic languages. 41 
Dispersion of terms.. ... 42 
Introduction of Spanish words.. 43 
II. Phonology. 44 
Vowels and consonants. 44 
Cacophony. 46 
The guttural break.. 47 
Meanings of aa . 47 
III. Morphology. 48 
General characteristics. 48 
Singular and plural distinctions. 49 
Tense and case. ..... 50 
Forms similar to French ... . 51 
IV. Syntax... 52 
Relative pronouns. 52 
Absence of verbs. 52 
Position of nouns . 53 
French and German constructions. 54 
Flexibility. 54 
V. Special peculiarities. 56 
Volubility. ... . 56 
Three numbers. 57 
Changed meanings of words... 58 
Special descriptive terms. 59 
Cadence. .. 60 
Mathematical ideas. 60 
Abundance of words... 61 
Oratory, religion, and poetry. 61 
Imagery. 61 
Seat of moral powers—parallel Italian expressions. 63 
(39) 
