Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/85

 Rh 5. The word for "cloud " in the Pampanga of the Philippines is biga, in the Bugis of Celebes ĕllun, in the Malay of the Peninsula awan : in short, one might almost say that each IN language has its own special word for “cloud”. We therefore say: there is no Common IN expression for “cloud”.

6. Now the Common IN linguistic phenomena form the subject of the first of the two prmcipal -parts into which our monograph is divided.

7. Let us now take stock of the chief principles of method which must serve as our lodestars in this first part. Herein we must first of all realize that our delineation of the Common IN element must have two facets, a positive and a negative side. If we establish the fact that there are Common IN expressions for “sky”, “to weave”, and “ten”, we must also at once add that for the concepts “cloud”, “to spin”, and “eleven” there are no Common IN designations. If we gave the reader only the positive results, our sketch would be one-sided, partial, and too favourable.

8. Further, we must build up our demonstrations entirely upon the basis of phonetic laws. That is really self-evident, bat it must nevertheless be particularly insisted on here, because this first part of the monograph has to yield us a thoroughly sound foundation for the second part, which is of a more hypothetical nature, and therefore less certain.

We must not therefore content ourselves with maintaining, for example, that Bimanese laṅi and Hova lanitra are derived from an original form laṅit : we must formulate the laws in accordance with which laṅi and lanitra have come into being. These laws are as follows: “In Bimanese and Sawunese all Common IN final consonants disappear”, therefore laṅi < laṅit. — “Every Common IN ṅ becomes n in Hova, except before a velar” " ; “every Common IN final t appears in Hova as -tra” ; therefore lanitra < laṅit. — As to Batanese gañit, see § 9. *r1 [The symbol < means “(is) derived from”, and similarly the symbol > signifies “(which) changes into”. In both cases the more archaic form is at the diverging end of the symbol, the more modern form at the converging end.]