Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/26

14 17. Here then we have established a series of Old Jav. roots: kab, kul, kěl, etc. With one single exception the elements by means of which the root is fashioned into a word-base stand, as we presumed in § 12, before the root. The exception is těluń, in which we see an infix -ĕl-.

These roots are Old Jav. ; whether they are also Original IN does not appear from our demonstration; in order to answer that question a comparative study would be necessary.

18. Kern's dissertations on the Old Jav. grammar are excellent, but Van der Tuuk's Old Jav. dictionary is in several respects an imperfect work. Therefore it is impossible to obtain such a complete survey of the Old Jav. root material as is necessary for our purpose, and accordingly we must look around for another source of information. — In fact the present writer, in preparing this dissertation, has used that dictionary very little; most of his material is derived from Juynboll's glossary to the Old Jav. Rāmāyana or from his own reading.

Though it is to be regretted that we cannot make as much use of Old Jav. as we could have wished, yet we must not overlook the fact that it has suffered in a marked degree from the operation of two phonetic laws, which have impaired its archaic character: The r of the EGH series (§ 6) has disappeared; accordingly Original IN těras, “hard”, which has been preserved in several languages, e.g. in Mal., has become tĕas and finally twas in Old Jav. ; and when in Original IN two vowels came together, they often suffered contraction in Old Jav. ; thus Mai., Sund., etc., daim, " leaf ", appears in Old Jav. as ron.

19. So we see that we must look for a substitute for Old Jav. in cases where it is necessary to have a general survey. Now there are other IN languages which have preserved an archaic impress in phonetic system and word-type, though it is true we cannot seize them in their earlier historical phases. Amongst these Karo is in the first rank. It has undergone few such changes as would alienate it from the Original IN.

This appears clearly when we compare it with the better known and closely related Toba :