Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/348

336 311. The languages which accentuate the penultimate, however, admit exceptions to the general rule.

I. In several languages of the penultimate type the pěpět cannot take the accent. Therefore if the penultimate contains a pěpět, the accent falls on the final syllable, as in Gayo sělúk, “tortuous”. If both syllables have a pěpět, some of the languages accentuate the penultimate, others the final.

II. Some languages of the penultimate type have a small number of words of substance that are accentuated on the final ; thus Mentaway, e.g., arát, “to go in”. These are mostly words for which no cognates are to be found in the other IN languages.

III. Several languages of the penultimate type possess a few words of form, especially demonstratives, that are accentuated on the final. Examples: Mentaway, otó, “so” , Bugis manrá, “yonder”, Hova iti, “this”. Mas accentuates most of its demonstratives on the final syllable.

In various languages of the penultimate type we find words of form that are accentuated either on the penultimate or the final, but with variations in meaning; e.g. Sangirese táṅu, “on that account”, táṅu , “thereupon”.

IV. In interjections too we not infrequently meet with accentuation of the final, as in Bugis aui, “indeed !” (implying surprise).

312. The final type comprises but few languages. It includes, for instance, Busang, which accordingly pronounces anál, for “child”.

313. The Toba type comprises Toba and cognate languages, such as Mandailing. Here too the accent mostly falls on the penultimate. But in certain definite cases, determined by rules which are given in the grammars, accentuation of the final occurs. One such rule is : Verbal WB's denoting a condition that has been caused (by some external agency), accentuate the final ; hence the accentuation of tanóm, “to be huried”, as against húndul, “to sit”.