2. Afoa.—The Afoa vocabulary was collected by Dr. Strong in the villages on Mount Pitsoko from a Fuyuge native who spoke Afoa fluently. Dr. Strong also obtained a short vocabulary from a native who came from a village apparently on the slopes of Mount Davidson. The language is substantially the same as the Tauata or Tauatape of which Rev. Father Egedi has published a Vocabulary and Grammar.[8] There are, however, a few slight differences which seem to confirm Father Egedi’s statement that there is probably a difference of pronunciation in the various Afoa villages.[9] Father Egedi writes: p, v, k, t, l, ts where Dr. Strong has: b, w, g, d, r, t. The latter also has final i for e, ōā for a or o, ia for ea, u for oi ai for ei. Sometimes b represents m or v. Some of Dr. Strong’s words show marks of Afoa grammar, as, e.g., the words for eat, see, sit, give, head, husband or wife, mother, are: na nai, I eat; na nu kava, I thee see; na navi, I sit; nu inie, thou givest; ni adi, your head; omen iva, his wife or her husband; aumen ini, his mother. The Tauata words are added to the Afoa Vocabulary in square brackets.

3. Kovio.—The language called Kovio by Dr. Strong is substantially the same as the Oru Lopiko of Rev. Father Egedi.[10] The same or a similar language is said to be found in four places, viz.—

1. Lopiko in the Inava valley.

2. Inavarene in the Inava valley.

3. Kwoifa district on upper Lakekamu River.

4. Villages round Pic Eleia.

Details of these dialects are not given.

II. Comparison.

The three groups of languages illustrated in these vocabularies present the usual Papuan characteristics of great differences. A certain amount of resemblance may be found in some of the pronouns, and possibly in a few other words, but generally speaking the languages are not only quite unconnected with each other, but are also distinct from the known Papuan languages surrounding them.

I. Thou. He. We. You. They.
I. Fuyuge na, nani nu, nuni u, uni di, dini yi, yini tu, tuni
Kambisa na nu u — — ha-ru
Sikube na-nio nu-ni — — — —
Kabana nau — — — — —
II. Afoa na nu-i ome — — —
Tauata na, nai nu, nu-i ome, ome-i nane, nane-i nune, nunei ote, ote-i
III. Kovio na ni pi — — —
Oru-Lopiko na, naro ni, niro pi, piro dae, daro ali, alero valo, valoro
West Toaripi ara-o a-o are-o ela-o e-o ere-o
Namau na-i ni-i u ene-i noro oro
Kiwai mo ro nou nimo nigo nei
North-east, Binandele na imo owa kaena, nakare imomae owawa
East, Koita da a au no yai yau
South-east, Mailu ia ga noa gea aea omoa