Page:A dictionary of the Sunda language of Java.djvu/15

X for the same purpose, denoting more, in excess. Lĕuwih hadé, more good. Lĕuwih panjang, more long. Pang is always prefixed to the word to which it imparts a superlative degree, which word then must be followed by the particle and postfix, an or na, as hadé, good, panghadé na or panghadéan, the best. When extra force is wished to be applied to this superlative degree, the word sakali, altogether—is added—as panghadéna sakali, the most positive best.

The past tense is indicated by the word anggĕus, mostly abbreviated to gĕus, as gĕus anggĕus, it is done, it is completed. Gĕus datang, he has come, and corresponds with the malay suda. The future tense is denoted by Mĕngké, answering to the Malay nanti. Mĕngké datang, I will come. Mĕngké hadé, it will become good.

The initial consonants of many words often vary rather arbitiarilyarbitrarily [sic] for the sake apparently of what appears to be euphony to native ears, thus

when a word cannot be found in the dictionary with one form of initial, an attempt must be made to quess at its cognate affinily, and sought elsewhere, as to have always given the words with their varying shapes would only have unjustifiably tended to swell the size of the dictionary.

An extensive class of words exists in the Sunda, which I have distinguished by the name of idiomatic expressions. They are monosyllables generally of three letters, as if they were a remnant of a very rude and aboriginal state of the language. They are often worked up into composite words, with the usual Sunda pre-and postfixes ka and an, or some other analogons particles. The use of them in the crude form gives strenghstrength [sic] to the expression with which they are associated, and indicates a precise line of conduct or action. Such idiomatic expressions will be found scattered through the whole work, such are bĕt, bus, dĕl, dĕs, kĕk, kop, rĕm, rĕp, sĕp, sĕr, top, tut. They have a peculiar force and cannot be translated by any corresponding word in a European language, but their tendency has always been indicated. They may even be left out of the sense of the passage where they occur, without exactly injaringinjuring [sic] the meaning, but a native makes very extensive use of them, as they give force and precision to what he says. As kop bai di hakan, putting it into his month, he eat it. Kop indicates the deliberate act of