14< On the Indo-Chinese tor derers. [No. 1. 



Note to accompany Vocabularies of languages spoken by Tribes in 



Aralcan. 



1. — Burmese. 

 This is the language of the Arakanese people, who for the most 

 part live in the lowlands, and on the sea-coast of the country called 

 Arakan. Provincial words occur in this language, differing from 

 those of Burmah proper, and the pronunciation in Arakan varies 

 considerably from that current in the valley of the "Irrawaddy ;" 

 yet the written languages of both countries are for the most part 



alike. Thus the word for a day written QOQ is pronounced Eak by 



the Arakanese, but by the Burmese is softened to Yet : the word 

 for water is called by the Arakanese Ei, by the Burmese Ye. It is 

 written with the same letters by both people. The Arakanese and 

 Burmese are of the same race, and have the common national name 

 of Myam-md, which is however a comparatively modern appellation 

 for the several tribes, into which the race was originally divided. 

 The term Mug is applied by the people of India to the Arakanese. 

 It is exclusively a foreign epithet, unknown to the Arakanese them- 

 selves. It probably takes its origin from the tradition of a tribe of 

 Brahmans, termed Mdgas, said to have emigrated Eastward from 

 Bengal. 



2. — Khyeng. 

 This name is given by the Burmese and Arakanese to a numerous 

 race of people who live in the high range of mountains called Yo-md 

 (that is " great ridge," or "back-bone"), which separates Arakan 

 from the valley of the Irrawady. These people call themselves 

 Shyou or Shyu. The word Khyeng (pronounced Khyang or Kyang 

 by the Arakanese) is probably a corruption of Klang* their word 



* Perhaps so ; but Kyang or Khiang is a well known ethnic designation to the 

 Northward where, by the way, with Chinese and Tibetans many of the ethnic 

 designations of the Indo-Chinese region are familiar terms of their own, as Mon, 

 Lho, Lao, Sak, Kyang, Myau. Nearer at hand we have, as terms allied to Khyeng, 

 Rakheng (whence our Arakan for " the Mugs;") Khyi for the " Cossiahs," Kho 

 vel Kyo and Ka for Kambojian tribes, and Ka Khyen for " the Kariens," whilst 

 the Kambojian Kyo vel Gyo re-appears in the Kho of the Koladyne river, and in 

 the " Moitay" of Manipur, we have the combined appellations of the Siamese Tai, 



