Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 2.djvu/57

 OF THE MALAYS. 43 the bold metaphorical character ascribed to early language, particularly in the East. Like the Ja- vanese, but in an inferior degree, it is rich in sim- ple epithets, and wantonly and uselessly redundant in trifles ; and like it, too, is singularly deficient in words of abstract meaning. The distinction of language, which expresses the relative language of the speakers, extends to but a very few words in Malay. This distinction seems to prevail in the Polynesian languages in proportion as the people who speak them are im- proved and civilized. That it holds to so trifling an extent in the Malay is an evidence of the small advances made in civilization and improvement by the people who spoke it, previous to their acquaint- ance with the Arabs, when their improvement as- sumed a new modification. On the derivation and composition of the Java- nese language, it will not be necessary to enter at length in this place, as the subject will be fully discussed in the chapter containing general remarks on the languages of the Archipelago. The lan- guage, as at present written and spoken, may be said to consist of three essential, one necessary in- gredient, and about four adventitious ones. The essensial ingredients are the primitive language of the Malayan tribe, the basis of the whole, the great Polynesian language, and the Sanskrit. The ne- cessary ingredient is the Arabic, and the adventi-