Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/76

 64 Mahābhārata, 2: pratī-pratīta sir a kabeh = “They all rejoiced exceedingly”. III. The first syllable of the first word is omitted: Mad. soṅay, “river”, ṅay-soṅayan, “ditch”. IV. Of the first word only the first two sounds are used: Tontb. gorit, “to saw”, gogorit, “saw”.

V. The word-base has only one consonant between the two vowels, and that consonant is then doubled: Iloko ama, “father”, amma, “fathers”.

The various significations expressed by reduplication of the word-base have been discussed with subtle insight by Misteli ("Charakteristik", p. 235).

112. I. Word-formation and inflexion take place in IN either by the reduphcation of the word-base, discussed in the preceding paragraph, or by the addition of formatives, mostly prefixes, to the word-base, or else by means of independent words of form.

II. The formatives which combine indissolubly with the root to form the word-base and those which, together with the word-base, create hving derivatives, are in part identical (see § 86).

III. Word-formation and inflexion are generally explained clearly and in detail in the several IN grammars ; and Kern in particular has done a great deal for the comparative treatment of the subject. Nevertheless there still remains quite a wide field open for research here, especially as fresh IN languages are constantly being made available by the creation of dictionaries and grammars. — In this place the writer will merely touch the fringe of the subject by means of a few examples:

a. Word-formation, example from Mlg. :