Some Notes on the Proto-Austronesian Words for 'Water'

Dempwolff's reconstructiion of *wayeR 'water' is reviewed. The meaning 'fresh water' is suggested. The initial *w may have been dialectally distributed with a probably older *kw. Chamorro's treatment of *w is formulated and its relevance to the evidence for *kw is challenged. The articulation of *R may have not been a velar spirant in all PAn dialects in view of the agreement of Bonfia, Palauan, and Yapese on sibilance. In some dialects there may have been a paragogic vowel after the *R and that vowel itself may have been followed by a glottal stop. Finally, evidence for a medial *S has been found.