LETTERS AND LANGUAGE. 
9 
tinctly sounded. Several consonants used in the 
English language, do not exist in that of the 
Georgian and Society Islanders. There is no 
sibilant, or hissing sound : s and c, and the corre¬ 
sponding 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 distinct¬ 
ness : 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 frequently 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 inter¬ 
jection aA, or aha . Y is also placed after a, to 
secure for the Tahitian vowel e, invariably the 
sound of a in day-light or may-pole. 
NAMES OF PLACES. 
Ta-hi-ti . pronounced as . Tah-he-te 
Ma-ta-v&i.Mah-tah-vye 
P&-re.Pae-ray 
Pa-pe-e-te ....... Pah-pay-ay-tay 
A'-te-hu-ru.. Ah-tay-hoo-roo 
Tiii-a-ra-bu.Tye-ah-rah-boo 
Ei-me-o.. . Eye-may-o 
Mo-o-r^-a.Mo-o-ray-ah 
A-fa-re-ai-tu. Ah-fah-ray-eye-to© 
O'-pu-no-hu.O-poo-no-hoo 
Hu-a-hi-ne ....... Hoo-ah-he-nay 
