Note on the Kovio Language.

By Dr. W. M. Strong.

Substantially the same language is spoken in the whole of the neighbourhood of Mount Yule. I have travelled all around this mountain and the same interpreter was able to make himself understood everywhere. The vocabulary recorded below was collected by means of the Motuan from a native of Lopiko in the Inava valley. I have also collected short vocabularies from the village of Inavarene in the same valley, and from the Kwoifa district of the upper part of the Lakekamu river. These vocabularies show close similarities with that of Lopiko. The natives around the Pic Eleia also speak much the same language.

The vocabulary of the language bears no resemblance to any other language I am acquainted with. It is peculiar in that a word often ends in a consonant preceded by a short vowel. There is also an unusual consonant sound in the language. This sound seems to vary between a “ch” and a “tch” sound.

The pronouns are as follows;—

First person: na.
Second person: ni.
Third person: pi.

These were obtained without much difficulty as well as the corresponding possessives nemai, nimai, and pimai; but plurals could not be obtained. Possibly the above are both singular and plural. The possessive precedes the noun, e.g., nemai tupumagi, my house.[1] A binary system of counting is shown in the following numerals:—

One: uniuni.
Two: karaala.
Three: naralavievi napuevi.
Four: naralavievi naralavievi.
Five: naralavievi naralavievi napuievi.
Ten: kowa.
Eleven: kowa uniuni.
Twelve: kowa karaala.
Twenty: kowakowa.

Seven, eight, and nine were also translated by saying naralavievi for each two, and napuevi for one over. The numeral follows the noun, e.g., inai karaala, two spears.[2]

[1] The Rev. Father Egedi’s Vocabulary of Oru Lopiko gives the pronouns thus:

Singular. Plural.
1st Person, na, naro. lst Person, dae, daro.
2nd Person, ni, niro. 2nd Person, ali, alero.
3rd Person, pi, piro. 3rd Person, valo, valoro.

The Possessives are formed with ma: nema, nima, pima, daema, lima, valoma.

The Interrogatives are: tsia? who? itara? vaina? what thing? (S.H.R.)

[2] These numerals differ from the Oru Lopiko of Father Egidi. He gives: konepu, one; kalotolo, two; konekhalavi, three; maimitara, many; onionipu, few. (S.H.R.)