Malayan and Polynesian Lang nay es and Races. 163 



spoken by them, whether brown or negro, traces of a Malayan 

 language are to be found. 



A brief examination, phonetically, grammatically, and ver- 

 bally, of some of the principal languages, will, I think, clearly 

 shew that they are generally distinct tongues, not derived 

 from a common stock, and that the Malayan words they con- 

 tain have been engrafted on them as Teutonic words have 

 been on the continental languages of Europe of Latin origin ; 

 or as French words have been on our own Anglo-Saxon, al- 

 though, indeed, the mode by which this has been effected has 

 been, in general, very different. 



The languages from which, in my opinion, the words so en- 

 grafted have been, for the most part, derived, are those of 

 the two most civilized, numerous, and adventurous nations 

 of the archipelago, the Malays and Javanese. The Malayan 

 words found in each language that has received them will, I 

 think, be found not only numerous, but correct in sound and 

 sense, in proportion to the facilities, geographical, navigable, 

 and lingual, possessed by the parties adopting. them, of com- 

 munication with the parent countries of the Malay and Ja- 

 vanese nations. 



The dissemination might be direct from Sumatra and Java, 

 the parent countries in question, or indirectly from some 

 nearer country ; and it would happen through commerce, pi- 

 ratical expeditions ending in settlement and conquest, or by 

 the fortuitous wreck of tempest-driven vessels, to all of which 

 I shall, afterwards, more particularly allude. 



The Malay and Javanese languages have the same number 

 of vowels, diphthongs, and consonants. The vowels are six 

 in number, viz., a, d, e, i, o, u ; the diphthongs two, ai and au, 

 and the consonants nineteen, b, c, d, 'd, y,J, k, I, m, n, h, n,p, 

 r, t, t, w, y, exclusive of the aspirate, which never begins a 

 word or syllable, and always follows a vowel. 



In no i)art of speech of either language is gender or num- 

 ber expressed by a change in the form of the word ; and the 

 only instance of an inflexion is to express a possessive. Re- 

 lation is exj)i'essed generally by prepositions. 



The only changes which verbal roots undergo, express 

 neuter, transitive, casual, passive, and reciprocal verbs ; and 



