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Preface to the Second Edition

For my own amusement in 1875 I wrote out a syntax of the Samoan Grammar. I was led to do this by observing, while reading Nordheimer's Hebrew Grammar, that the Samoan, in many points, resembled the Hebrew. Shortly afterwards the Rev. S. J. Whitmee asked me to contribute the Samoan part of a comparative Malayo-Polynesian Dictionary. I at once, with the aid of pundits, commenced revising the first edition of my Dictionary, which was printed at the Samoan Mission Press in 1862. I read through the Hawaii, Maori, Tahiti, and Fiji Dictionaries, and from these I obtained some words which occur also in the Samoan dialect, but which had been overlooked in the first edition. I also culled words and examples from Samoan genealogical accounts, songs, traditionary tales, proverbs, &c. In this way I have been enabled to add over four thousand new words or new meanings.

To the Rev. T. Powell, f.l.s., I am indebted for many new words, including names, ʻboth native and scientific, of plants.

Mr. Whitmee has filled up, as far as possible, the scientific names of the plants and animals.

Many immodest words excluded from the first edition have been admitted into this.

“ʻTis needful that the most immodest word

Be looked upon and learn'd; which, once attained,

Comes to no further use

But to be known and hated.”

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Such is my experience. Having once learnt such a word, I know how to avoid stumbling upon it in speaking. Those who take the opposite course are apt, all unconsciously, to say things which, had they known, they would have wished unsaid.

Some Polynesian tribes have recently changed the pronunciation of one or two consonants. The natives of Niue (Savage Island) have changed the t into ts. Fifteen years ago only a portion of the younger people made the t into ts before i; as lautsi for lauti. Since then the practice has spread amongst the people, and the use has been extended by some to the t before any vowel.

In Hawaii they have changed the t into k, and ng into n. Thus tangata has become kanaka. Samoans are doing the same thing at the present time, to the great injury of the language.

The examples in the Grammar are taken from the Scriptures. I wrote that part on the Island of Tutuila. I had not access to any other Samoan writings, and the convenience afforded by the use of a Concordance was not to be despised. In the Samoan and English part of the Dictionary most of the examples are taken from old songs and historical myths. The examples given with the nouns will show whether they take o or a, lona or lana, in governing another noun, or in an accompanying pronoun.

That all Samoan words have been collected it would be useless to affirm. I would fain have had several years during which to go on collecting, but must needs be content to go to press with such as I have, as a new edition is called for, the former being out of print.