154 ARABIC INFLUENCE. 



the most western Asiatic nations, the Arabs. It is well 

 known that during the Middle Ages these people were great 

 travellers and colonists, spreading far down the eastern coast 

 of Africa and into the interior; and before the tenth century 

 they also sailed across the IMozambique Channel to the Comoro 

 Islands, and then on the shores of Madagascar, both east as 

 well as west. From the time of Flacourt, one of the ablest 

 French commandants in Madagascar (1648-165 5), it has 

 been known that the IMalagasy words for the days and months 

 are of Arabic origin ; this is obvious even to those unac- 

 quainted with the language, from many of them commencing 

 with the Arabic article Al ; as Alatsinainy, Monday ; Ala- 

 robia, Wednesday ; Alkhamady, the first month ; Al^hasaty, 

 the fifth month, &c. 



The subject has lately received minute investigation by 

 the Eev. L. Dahle, a learned member of the Norwegian 

 Mission, and his researches have brought out many interest- 

 ing facts connected with the language, and thus thrown 

 light upon a remote period as to which no record or tradition 

 gives any information. The number of Arabic words in 

 Malagasy is not very numerous, being, as Mr. Dahle remarks, 

 " more significant by their quality than their quantity," and 

 so forming "instructive historical documents of the Arabic 

 contribution to Malagasy civilisation and superstition." * 



In chronological, astronomical, and cognate terms, Mr. 

 Dahle shows that the Malagasy words for the days of the 

 week are closely identical with the Arabic words for those 

 days, being, in fact, just the numerals for the first five, while 

 Zom^, Friday, is Dschuma', i.e., " congregation day," the sacred 

 day of the Mohammedans, while Asabotsy, Saturday, is 

 simply the Hebrew Sabbath, slightly altered in its trans- 

 mission through the Arabic. But in the month-names, a 

 still more interesting fact is shown by Mr. Dahle, viz., that 

 the Malagasy Words for these are the Arabic names, not 

 for the months, but for the constellations of the Zodiac. 

 These were doubtless introduced because of their use in divina- 

 tion, for the words for this practice, as well as those for witch- 

 craft, fate, &c., are also shown to be of Arabic origin. Besides 



* Antananarivo Annual, No. ii., 1876, pp. 75-91. 



