A Comparative Study of the Melanesian Island Languages

CONTENTS

Bibliography page xiv

Abbreviations xvi

Corrigenda xvi

PART I

Introduction i

The Early Records 6

The Comparative Study of Melanesian 19

The Representation of Sounds 26

Melanesian and Indonesian 33

The Root in Melanesian 38

Word Formation in Melanesian 54

Indonesian Grammar in Melanesia 61

PART II

The Loyalty Islands 75

Grammar of the lai Language 84

Grammar of the Lifu Language iii

The Southern New Hebrides 137

Aneityum 137

Tanna 139

Grammar of the Kwamera Language 146

Eromanga 171

Grammar of the Eromanga Language 176

The Central New Hebrides 195

Efate, Nguna and the Shepherd Isles 195

Grammar of the Nguna Language 204

Sketch of Makura Grammar 222

Epi 228

Grammar of the Tasiko Language 236

Grammar of the Baki Language 245

Malekula 258

Grammar of the Kuliviu Language 266

xii Contents

The Cerxtral New Hebrides {Contd)

Grammar of the Aulua Language pdgi S73

Grammar of the Uripiv Language 284

Grammar of the Meaun Language 293

Grammar of the Sinesip Language 302

Paama 311

Grammar of the Paama Language 315

Ambrim 329

Grammar of the Ambrim Language 333

Espiritu Santo 348

Grammar of the Tangoa Language 356

Grammar of the Tasiriki Language 371

Grammar of the Nogugu Language 384
Grammar of the Language spoken in the Bay of SS. PhiHp

and James 401

The North-eastern New Hebrides 417

Whitsuntide or Pentecost Island 417

Lepers' Island 418

Aurora Island 420

The Banks' Islands 427

The Torres Islands 441

The Santa Cruz Archipelago 447

Grammar of the Vanikolo Language 455

Grammar of the Utupua Language 461

The South-eastern Solomon Islands 470

San Cristoval 470

Ugi 471

Santa Ana and Santa Catalina 471

Marau Wawa 471

Ulawa 478

Malaita 478

Gower Island 47^

Grammar of the Fiu Language 487

Grammar of the Malu Language 498

Contents xiii

The Central Solomon Islands page 514

Guadalcanar 514

Florida and Bugotu 516

Ysabel 525

The Bush Language of Ysabel 529

Sketch of Kilokaka Grammar 532

Sketch of Kia Grammar 534

The New Georgian Archipelago 539

Grammar of the Roviana Language 543

Nduke (Kolobangara) 560

Mandegusu (Eddystone Island) 562

Ganongga 565

North-western Solomon Islands 567

Choiseul 567

Grammar of the Bambatana Language (i) 568

Grammar of the Bambatana Language (2) 571

Bougainville Straits 584

Bougainville Island 589

Buka 591

Conclusion 595

MAPS

1. New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands To face p, 84

2. The Southern New Hebrides

3. The Northern New Hebrides, Banks' Islands and

Torres Islands

4. The Santa Cruz Archipelago

5. The South-eastern Solomon Islands

6. The North-western Solomon Islands

146

258

455
478

543

Note : Names of Melanesian Languages thus : iai. Names of Polynesian
Languages thus: (uvea). Names of Papuan Languages thus: [savo].

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Ray, Sidney Herbert, 1858-1939.

A comparative study of the Melanesian Island
languages.

Reprint of the 1926 ed. published by the Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, Eng.

Bibliography: p.

1. Melanesian languages. L Title.
i PL6201.R3 1978 499'.5 75-35151
ISBN 0-404-14166-8