POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
77 
vowel is therefore distinctly sounded. Several con¬ 
sonants used in the English language^ do not exist in 
those of the Georgian and Society Islands. There is no 
sibilant^ or hissing sound: s and c, and the correspond¬ 
ing letters^ are therefore unnecessary. The consonants 
that are used retain the sound usually attached to them 
in English. 
The natives sound the vowels with great distinctness; 
a has the sound of a in father, e the sound of a in fate, 
i that of i in marine or e in me, o that of o in no, and u 
that of oo in root. The diphthong ai is sounded as i in 
wine. The following are some of the names most fre¬ 
quently used in the present work. 
The first column presents them in the proper syllabic 
divisions observed by the people. In the second column 
I have endeavoured to exhibit the native orthoepy, by 
employing those letters which, according to their general 
use in the English language, would secure, as nearly as 
possible, the accurate pronunciation of the native words. 
The h is placed after the a only to secure to that vowel 
the uniform sound of a in father, or a in the interjection 
ahy or aha. Y is also placed after a, to secure for the 
Tahitian vowel c, invariably the sound of a in hay or day. 
NAMES OF PLACES. 
Ta-hi-ti ..... 
, .pronounced as.Tah-he-te 
Ma-ta-vai ■ 
Pa-re. 
Pa-pe-e-te... 
A-te-hu-ru .. 
.Ah-tay-hoo-roo 
Tai-a-ra-bu.. 
Ei-me-o .... 
.*. .Eye-may-o 
Mo-o-re-a, 
A-fa-re-ai-tu 
