Gilbertese
p. 20 · Read in the full issue
Simplified Spelling Of
IN an attempt to simplify the spelling of the Gilbertese language, the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, after conferences with represenatives of the missions concerned, has issued a set of rules.
It is provided, for example, that the letter "B” shall be used now always as the symbol to represent “B" and “P”, and the intermediate sounds, in the Gilbertese words. Similarly, the sound “Ng”,has been written sometimes with “G” and sometimes with “N”. In future, it must be written “Ng” only. It has been the practice also, in the past, to indicate possessive pronouns and certain prepo sitions by treating them as suffixes, sep arated from the main word by a hyphen.
Such compound words are not to be used in future. For instance, barau is not any more to be spelled “bara-u”; and "angan-ai” must be spelled “anganai”.