Note 21 — A TABLE[21], exhibiting, at one View, SPECIMENS of different LANGUAGES, spoken in the South Sea, from Easter Island, westward to New Caledonia, as observed in the Voyage.

It may be easily perceived, that notwithstanding some words are entirely different, the first five Indian languages are radically the same; though the distance from Easter Island to New Zealand is upwards of fifteen hundred leagues. The principal difference consists in the mode of pronunciation, which in Easter Island, Amsterdam, and New Zealand, is more harsh, or guttural, than at the Marquesas Isles, or Otaheite. The other three differ totally, not only from the preceding, but from each other; which is more extraordinary than the agreement of the others, as from Malicollo to Tanna, you never lose sight of land, nor is New Caledonia at a great distance from the last place. In the language of Malicollo, a great number of harsh labial sounds prevail, very difficult to be represented in writing. At Tanna the pronunciation is likewise harsh, but rather guttural, and the inhabitants of New Caledonia have many nasal sounds, or snivel much in speaking. It may, however, be observed, that in the three last languages, some words are found, which seem to have a distant resemblance to those that go before; as Brrooas in Malicollo, and ´Booga, or Boogas, in Tanna, both signifying a hog, which at Otaheite, and the Marquesas, is expressed by the word ´Böa, and at Amsterdam by Boo´acka. Yet, whether these may not have been accidentally introduced, is hard to determine; because they frequently use two words to express the same thing; as, for instance, in New Caledonia, they call a star both Peejoo and Fy’fatoo: the first seems most consonant to the general composition of their language, whereas the second differs very little from E’faitoo or Whettoo, the name of a star at Otaheite. When they mention puncturation, it is commonly called Gan, Gan,galang; but sometimes they say Tata’tou, which is almost the same as Ta’tou, used to express the same thing at Otaheite and Amsterdam.