Here, although the formations are not exactly regular, the prefixion of an initial syllable is evident. So is the quinary character of the numeration. The prefix itself, however, in the Tanna and Mallicollo is no labial, as in the Louisiade and New Caledonian, but either k or a vowel.
The next fact connected with the Louisiade vocabularies is one of greater interest. Most of the names of the different parts of the body end in da. In the list in question they were marked in italics; so that the proportion they bear to the words not so ending was easily seen. Now it is only the words belonging to this class that thus terminate. Elsewhere the ending da is no commoner than any other.
What does this mean? If we look to such words as mata-da = eyes, sopa-da = lips, maka-da = teeth, and some other naturally plural names, we should infer that it was a sign of number. That this, however, is not the case is shewn by the equivalents to tongue, nose, and other single members where the affix is equally common. What then is its import? The American tongues help us here.
| English | Mbaya | Abiponi | Mokobi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | na-guilo | ne-maiat | —— |
| Eye | ni-gecoge | na-toele | ni-cote |
| Ear | na-pagate | —— | —— |
| Nose | ni-onige | —— | —— |
| Tongue | no-gueligi | —— | —— |
| Hair | na-modi | ne-etiguic | na-ecuta |
| Hand | ni-baagadi | na-pakeni | na-poguena |
| Foot | no-gonagi | —— | —— |
| English | Moxa(1)[28] | Moxa(2) | Moxa(3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | nu-ciuti | nu-chuti | nu-chiuti |
| Eye | nu-chi | —— | nu-ki |
| Ear | nu-cioca | —— | —— |
| Nose | nu-siri | nu-siri | —— |
| Tongue | nu-nene | nu-nene | nu-nene |
| Hand | nu-bore | nu-boupe | nu-bore |
| Foot | ni-bope | —— | ni-bope |
Now in these, and in numerous other American tongues, the prefix is the possessive pronoun; in other words, there is a great number of American languages where the capacity for abstracting the thing possessed from the possessor is so slight as to make it almost impossible to disconnect the noun from its pronoun. I believe, then, the affixes in question have a possessive power; and am not aware that possessive adjuncts thus incorporated have been recognised in any of the languages for these parts; indeed, they are generally considered as American characteristics.
How far does their presence extend? In the New Caledonian vocabulary of La Billardiere we find it. The names of the parts of the body all take an affix, which no other class of words does. This is gha, guai, or ghai, or other similar combination of g with a vowel. In Van Diemen's Land, an important locality, we find the following series of words, which are submitted to the judgment of the reader.
| English. | Western Tasmanian. |
|---|---|
| Foot | lula |
| Leg | peea = piya = posteriors, Brumer I. |
| Thigh | tula = turi = knee, Brumer I. |
| Belly | cawara-ny |
| Neck | denia |
| Ears | lewli-na |
| Nose | me-na |
| Eyes | pollatoola = matara-pulupulura = eyelashes, Brierly I. |
| Hair | pareata |
| —— | palani-na |
| Face | manrable |
| Mouth | ca-nia |
| Teeth | yannalople = yinge-da, Brierly I. |
| Tongue | tulla-na |
| Arm | alree |
| Fist | reannema-na |
| Head | pulbea-ny |
Here the termination na appears elsewhere, as in memana = fight, nabagee-na = sun; but by no means so frequently; nor yet with such an approach to regularity.