WORDS FOR FAMILY, NATION, ETC. 247 



siderable time as the only names, with the prefix Ea- (see 

 chapter viii.). 



It may not be out of place to say something here about 

 the words used for " tribe," " nation," and " family," among 

 the Malagasy. For " family " the word mpianakavy is used, 

 of which the word anaka (child) is evidently the root, but 

 whether the terminal is the verb avy (" come " or " come 

 from ") is doubtful. For " tribe " there is the word fbJco, a 

 somewhat wide term, meaning also family, class, or clan ; 

 and frequently combined with blona, people, and firmina, 

 nation. This last word, however, has not the wide meaning 

 which our " nation " has, as it often means only a clan or 

 tribe ; and it is evidently derived from the root riny, mother, 

 which fact, taken in connection with the practice of inherit- 

 ing through the female rather than the male line, is not 

 perhaps without significance. But we still need more minute 

 inquiry among the natives of Madagascar upon all these 

 subjects. 



In the words for " brother " and " sister," there are dis- 

 tinctions we do not possess, viz., rahalahy for brother's 

 brother, anadaliy for sister's brother, rahavavy for sister's 

 sister, and anabavy for brother's sister. 



These words again are used for " cousin," for which 

 relationship there is no single or equivalent term; and so 

 much is the near kinship of brothers' and sisters' children 

 recognised that, as with the words father and mother and 

 child, it is difficult without close inquiry to find out what 

 actual relationship there is between members of a family. 

 There are, however, the compounds, zana-drahalahy , child 

 of a man's brother ; zccnak'aina (aina = life) and zanak 'ana- 

 bavy, child of a man's sister ; zana-drakavavy , child of a 

 woman's sister; and zanali anadaliy , child of a woman's 

 brother. 



The words " brother " and " sister " are also used widely 

 for any person whom one meets and desires to act towards 

 in a friendly manner, generally with the polite prefix Ha-, as 

 Eanabavy, Eanadaky, a form also used for Such an one, Mr. 

 So and so (Eanona), and also with the word ankizy, children, 

 as Eanklzy, and with other words as well. (This last word, 



