Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/192

180 73. The verbal systems. I. We have learnt that the IN languages often have several formatives that perform jDrecisely the same function. If, for example, we analyse the Hova descriptive piece " Fiana-kaviana " in Julien, we see that the two formatives mi and man < ma + ń occur in it particularly frequently. It contains 6 verbs in man- and 7 in mi-. In all the 13 cases the formative simply creates an active transitive verb, without any. special shade of meaning; manasa lamba means " to wash clothes ", but mitutu wari " to pound rice". — In Old Jav. the two active formatives a- and ma- can be used for one another at pleasure, and the same applies to the Bug. aq- and maq-. If we analyse the Prasthānikaparwa from that point of view, we see that e.g. "he made" is represented on some occasions by sira agawe and on others by sira magawe. The meaning is absolutely the same, and so is the situation : in both cases the word that precedes the verb ends in -a. II. On the basis of the condition sketched in I. above, several of the IN languages have elaborated a series of verbal systems running parallel and side by side with one another, much like the Latin conjugations in a and e. As a specimen I here exhibit the two systems of Mentaway :

Active ma-loto, " to be afraid "

Active mu-kom, "to eat " The fullest development of this principle is the elaboration of the Bug. verbal systems in a and e, which I have dealt with in a former monograph.*
 * [" Sprachvergleichendes Charakterbild eines indonesischen Idiomes", §§ 84-99.]