Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstrai9101882roya).pdf/176

 force of the vowel a and when to introduce their signs for the peculiar vowel-sound which they want to represent.

writes samoa and sakarang, but săblah, sădikit and săbab.

writes sabenar, săbăb, sadikit and sâdikit, sakarang and sâkarang, sambilan and sâmbilan; one word is spelt in four different ways, sâpârti, sapârti, sapurti and sâpurti; he introduces the vowel in a curious manner in the Sanskrit words srigala, which he spells sârigala, and sloka, which he spells sâloka. The short vowels in the Sanskrit word sâbda and the Arabic word săbtŭ are represented in different ways.

The Spelling Committee of the Straits Settlements write Selangor, Sarâwak and sembilan, though it is not clear why sa is allowed to stand in Sarawak while Salangor is held to be wrong. The adoption of the syllable se in sembilan (nine) is still more singular, for the vowel is clearly a, sambilan being derived from sa-ambil-an, "one taken away (from ten)." In most instances this initial syllable is derived from the Sanskrit sa or sam (with) and it cannot be right to render it by se or sĕ, which do not more nearly approach the Malay pronunciation than sa.

Many other instances might be given. I have seen in Government publications the name of the Malay State "Patani," spelt "Pĕtani." Yet it can hardly be said that there is good reason for departing from the established mode of spelling this word (which has been spelt "Patani" from the days of I.), when it is remembered that the Malay historical work called Sajarah Malayu says that the state was called after a fisherman who had a son called Tani and was therefore called Pa-Tani (Tani's father). However absurd this derivation may be, its occurrence in a purely native work is at all events conclusive as to the pronunciation of the first syllable.

SYSTEM PROPOSED.

The only use of the accents which will be inserted is to denote that the vowel is expressed in the Malay text. No sign will be used