Note on the Afoa Language
By Dr. W. M. Strong
The vocabulary recorded below was obtained from a Fuyuge native who spoke the Afoa language. He had travelled with me to the Afoa-speaking villages on Mount Pitsoko and I could assure myself that he spoke the language fluently. In spite of the vocabulary having been obtained through a Fuyuge native there is very little similarity between this and the Fuyuge vocabulary. It should be noted that the words for “I” and for “thou” are substantially the same in the two languages.
I also obtained a short vocabulary from a native who came down the coast to me, and found that this was substantially the same as the Pitsoko vocabulary. The native had come from a village which appeared to be situated on the slopes of Mount Davidson and on the inland side of it. According to native accounts the Afoa language is spoken in numerous villages which stretch from Mount Davidson to the head of the St. Joseph River in the Mafulu district. All the Afoa villages are situated north of the St. Joseph and its main branches.
[Dr. Strong gives only the pronoun: nui, thou; and the numerals: koane, one; atolowai, two; atolowai-itima, three; atolowai-atolowai, four; atolowai-atolowai-itima, five.
The Pronouns given by Father Egidi for Tauata (“Anthropos,” II. 1907, pp. 1009–1015) are:—
| Singular. | Plural. | Dual. |
| lst Person, nai, na. | lst Person, nanei, nane. | lst Person, nonei, none. |
| 2nd Person, nui, nu. | 2nd Person, nunei, nune | 2nd Person, nuvei, nuve. |
| 3rd Person, omei, ome. | 3rd Person, otei, ote. | 3rd Person, olei(?). |
The Possessives are:—
| Singular. | Plural. | Dual. |
| lst Person, ne, neve. | lst Person, nane,nanene. | lst Person, none. |
| 2nd Person, ni, nie. | 2nd Person, nune. | 2nd Person, nuvene. |
| 3rd Person, ote, otene. | 3rd Person, otene. | 3rd Person, olene. |
The Interrogatives are: te? who? te? teile? what thing? te? tue? which?
The Numerals, according to Father Egidi, are, kone, one; atolo(ai), two; atoloai-laina, three; talele, memene, many; konekone, few.