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From: donn@hp-dcd.UUCP (donn)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Orphaned Response
Message-ID: <17900007@hp-dcd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Apr-85 01:47:00 EST
Article-I.D.: hp-dcd.17900007
Posted: Tue Apr 23 01:47:00 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 19-Apr-85 01:42:44 EST
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Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Fort Collins, CO
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Nf-ID: #R:hou5h:-42400:hp-dcd:17900007:37777777600:1407
Nf-From: hp-dcd!donn    Apr 15 22:47:00 1985

From my experience with Hawiian (what little I have), reduplication
seems to be formally part of the language:

	mau		fire
	hale maumau	the firepit in the crater of Kilauea volcano
			(lit: house of much fire (no kidding! :-) )

This name seems to antedate the "pidgin" phenomenon in Hawaii as
I think it was known in the missionary era and before.  Anyone
at noscvax or elsewhere in Hawaii care to correct me?
			
As far as the Polynesian languages all being very similar.  Definitely.
The chiefs of Hawaii traced their lineage to Tahiti, and there is definite
evidence of some degree of "commerce" between Hawaii and Tahiti before
(but not much after) 1000AD.   (Think about old world seafaring at the
time; it's impressive what the Polynesians did.)   I can also make some
sense of Maori (to the extent I can make sense of Hawaiian) because of
the strong similarity of vocabulary.  It's surprising how close the
various langages of Polynesia are (modulo consonant substitution).
In fact they might be closer than we think today, as the missionaries
"standardized" the spellings differently in different areas:  in Hawaii,
the story goes that "k" won over "t" by one vote; "Waititi beach" does
look a bit funny now!

Donn Terry
HP Ft. Collins, Co.  (Colorado?  Talking about Hawaii???)

P.S.  Yes, I know that Hawaii should really be spelled Hawai'i, but
that started after I left.  (' is a glottal stop)