Page:Journal Of The Indian Archipelago And Eastern Asia Series.i, Vol.2 (IA in.ernet.dli.2015.107695).pdf/631

 brous alphabet will not be very often called into use, for the actual number of Arabie words in the ordinary written language is not ve- ry considerable, and to the oral language, in which they are trifling, it has no reference.

A very few examples will show how much better adapted the Roman letters are than the Arabic to the expression of the native sounds of the languages of the Archipelago. The Malay words bawa, to bring, and bau, odour, are in the latter represented by the very same let- ters. So are bunga a flower, and buang, to throw away, so are arti meaning, and arta, goods, both Sanskrit words, the word bágánda, prince or highness, is written bgnd, that is without any vowel at all, although it contains three.

I conclude with a few examples of the changes which Arabic words undergo in Malayan pronunciation. Kábár, news, becomes ka- bar, fákár, to think, pikir, sábáb, cause, sabab in Malay and sawab in Javanese, rálá leave or permission, lila, and wakt, time, waktu, fá- luli, to meddle, paduli. The more the language abounds in vowels the greater the havoc committed. Májád, a mosk, become in Bugis, masigi, sálám, peace, solon, bárkát, a blessing, baraka, and kártás paper, karotusa. The Arabic word wákt time, had been pretty well mutilated by the Malays and Javanese when they reduced it to waktu, but the Bugis thoroughly disfigure it when they make it watüe.