66 SISSANO. 
18. bébé Hamatana. 39. uleulebe Negela. 
19. kau—bebe Motu, Sinaugoro. 40. mbé New Hanover. 
20. bembe | Baki 41. bawe Buka. 
21. mbembe Omba, Maewo. 42. koribaba Musa. 
22. ka mbémbé —*Vitu. 43. ababang Chamorro. 
23. baba Laur. 44. babbub Marshalls. 
24. bebebi Panaieti, Misima. 45. bibi Hanahan. 
25. beberoho Manukolo. 46. karabimbim Kwagila. 
26. beberu Mulaha. 47. bébo Wogeo. 
27. bebeu Taupota, Wedau. 48. b6bd Barriai, 
28. beberuka Koita. 49. nal bobs Kilenge 
29. bebeula Savo. 50. bobébe Manam 
30. arabembemta Mukawa, Raqa. 51. bobddi Pak. 
31. beambéa Kowamerara. 52. bobdkor6 Tuom, Siassi. 
32. beb Merlav, Gog, Motlav, | 53. boiboi Tumu. 
Volow. 54. kili-bob Bilibili, Graget. 
33. kamba Lambell. 55. fefe Mekeo. 
34. bam Lamassa. 56. fefek Kiviri, Oiun. 
35. beba Nada, Kiriwina. 57. fifi Milareipi. 
36. bebabeba Boniki. 58. vebe Malo. 
37. bebi Mugula, Tubetube, | 59. popéa Vrinagol. 
Tagula, Murua, | 60. peropero Roro. 
Brierly Island. 61. kapeu Awalama. 
38. ebebelo Pokau. 62. gopu Tavara. 
We deal here with a series which involves the characteristic mutation 
system of the labials in Melanesian speech. In my examination of the 
labials of these primitive languages I have seldom encountered a stem 
whose simplicity of structure and whose extension over so wide a 
distribution of remote languages has afforded so excellent a base on 
which to study out the labial movements. We have a vowel short 
in quantity preceded by a labial. While employing for convenience 
the term mutation, I can not regard as active here any principle at 
all comparable with Grimm’s law of the progression of the mutes in 
the Indo-European languages. For purposes of fixing the meaning 
of this stem there has arisen and has come into common consent the 
employment of a labial, some labial, whichever can best be compassed 
in the stage of control of the lips in speech which has been attained 
by the several groups of speakers in any given community. I have 
sought vainly to discover some principle underlying the choice of the 
particular labial brought into use; this on the assumption that the 
choice is governed after some such orderly manner as is the progression 
of the mutes in languages of the higher type. All becomes clear and 
reasonable, however, if we regard the several labials as functions of 
the motive to employ the lips in speech to specify in the consonantal 
modulant preface that coefficient value which shall tend to set aside 
the basic vowel in this combination as revealing a sense more or less 
specific and furnishing a step toward the establishment of a noun vo- 
cable through a descriptive attributive. In this instance we encounter 
the complete range of the labials, as in the following list: 
P 1-15, 59, 61, 62. TESS ave 
7, 15-20, 23-32, 34-39, 41-54, 58. ¥/153; 
mb 20-22, 30, 31, 33, 40, 46. W 4I. 
Here we find the strongest insistence upon the mutes, and particu- 
larly upon the sonant b, this being particularly marked in the lan- 
