SISSANO WORDS. 25 
We shall next proceed to order these sums upon the common table 
of the alphabet, together with the percentage derived in each case. 
I have already made a similar computation for the Samoan, as the 
representative of a highly developed language of the South Sea. The 
comparison of these totals and percentages derived therefrom will 
prove interesting as exhibiting the variety which inheres in the two 
types of language. 





Per cent: 
Conso- 
Vowels. nants. Sum reels Conso- 
‘| nants. 
Sissano..... 204 276 480 42 ra 56.6 
pamogn....| 2,540 T7322 4,262 59.6 40.4 

We see at once how radically the two languages vary; this speech of 
rudest New Guinea is consonantal in approximately the same pro- 
portion as the soft tongue of Nuclear Polynesia is vocalic. Such a 
difference indicates clearly a great diversity in phonetic type. We 
shall now examine the items one by one, recording the sum and the 
percentage and adding in italic figures the corresponding Samoan per- 
centage. 
semivowels | y Ant i a SO yi2 23) 27 O3e19) 4 27 
nasals — ng sey 22 7e bon Sr 10,6 3 1 Wy 6 arg ora tae 8.8 
aspiration | h 4 1 
sibilants sh 20 Ss mh Sede BS, Gay ee ie ees Ses 
spirants kh TO F "4\o0 Ailes On 20 94.47 950 
go d 8 b sa 
mutes iE 2}30 Gb .0 t a tie GS e5 22 p20 A3748,.6'2 24 jomared 1612 
44.9 II 12° 30.7°20-4 80 16.6 8.9 
palatal series. lingual series. labial series. 

Before tracing the distinctive curves of the two languages thus 
brought into comparison, it has been deemed advisable to prepare 
another set of percentages: those of each vowel on the base of the sum 
of the vowels, those of each group of consonants on the base of the 
total consonant equipment. This is done in order to bring out in 
sharper profile the graphic record of the speech characters. In the 
latter ordering I find it advisable to deal with the consonants in one 
order by their series postulated upon that organ of speech from which 
they come and in the other by their quality running across the three 
speech-organ series. 

Sissano.| 26.4 | 22.5 | 16.6 | 16.6 | 16.6 || 16 55 28.9 || 22.8] 25.8] 5 
9.1 
7 
Samoan.} 39.3] 19.1 | 15 Ty 07, 27.6] 50.4] 21.9|| 26.9] 21.6] 2.6/9. 
