Page:A Grammar and Dictionary of the Malay Language with a Preliminary Dissertation- Dissertation and Grammar, in Two Volumes, Vol. I (IA dli.granth.52714).pdf/312

 in the Arabic alphabet having the sound of our z; one of these is given in the Roman, and the other in the Italic character. Whatever the Arabs may do, the Malays make no distinction between them, but pronounce them both with facility, and like the z of the European languages. In so far as pronunciation is concerned, nearly all these letters might be dispensed with; but a correct etymology renders their preservation indispensable.

Arabian Vowels.—There are but three long vowel characters in the Arabic alphabet, as already stated; one, equivalent to the a of the native portion of the Malayan alphabet; another representing either e or i; and a third, either o or u. The short vowel marks are, also, three in number, but they represent sounds nearly equivalent to the vowels which I have written thus: ǎ, ĕ or ĭ, and ŏ or ŭ. Besides all these, there is in the Arabic alphabet a peculiar and anomalous character which the Arabs consider a substantive letter or consonant, but which is, in reality, a true vowel. It may take the sound of any one of five vowels, but most generally has that of a. I have represented it by an italic a. Although always written in correct Malay composition, the Malays make no attempt at its genuine sound, but pronounce it like any of their own ordinary vowels which it may happen to resemble.

Malayo-Arabic Letters.—The whole Malay alphabet represented by Roman letters, will be as follows:—a, â, ă, a, b, ch, d, d͘, e, ĕ, f, g, g, h, h, i, ĭ, j, k, k, l, ll, l͘, m, n, ng, ñ, o, p, r, s, s, s’, ç, t, t͘, t, u, ŭ, w, x, y, z, z. In this manner we have forty-four characters; but even in the Malayo-Arabic alphabet, the short vowel marks included, there are no fewer than thirty- seven, yet without any approach to precision. It is the necessity of adding so many characters, to represent Arabic letters which, although written, are not pronounced, or but very imperfectly so, that encumbers the system. The portion which represents native sounds, and which embraces the great bulk of the words of the language, is simple and easy.

The following, in its usual order, is the Arabic alphabet with its supplementary characters as written by the Malays:—