THE FORMATION OF WORDS. 29 
hulubalang itu se-tengah tujuh kaki besar-nya. 
Lembah itu dua batu lebar-nya. 
Sungai itu dua puloh batu panjang-nya. 
Bukit itu se-ribu kaki tinggi-nya. 
Anak itu se-puloh tahun ‘omor-nya. 
In these sentences we have besar (size), lebar (breadth), 
panjang (length), and tingg: (height) absolutely parallel with 
the Arabic noun ‘omor (age). The substantive use of these 
“adjectives ” is certainly the more original, and even now the 
more idiomatic. 
The ancient adjectives were formed from these “ roots” 
by prefixing the syllable ma-. Such forms are in constant use 
in Tagalog, the languages of Borneo, Batak and Malagasy, as 
we will show by numerous examples, which might be increased 
almost ad libitum. They must have been used to a much larger 
extent even in historical Malay, and we should expect to find 
some remnants of this use in geographical names, where anti- 
quities are much more likely to remain unchanged. It would 
be worth the labour of a student to make careful lists of Malay 
geographical names, laying stress upon peculiar expressions, 
and seeing that modern corruptions (in the mouth of Tamils, 
Chinese and foreign Malays) be eliminated. I will mention 
but one name belonging to this group. In the Province Wel- 
lesley we find the name of a hill and an adjacent town, usually 
spelled Bukit Mertajam. The latter word is a corruption of 
matajam, which means ‘sharp, pointed,’ Batak ma-tajom, and 
the name “pointed hill” is quite in accordance with the 
character of the elevation.* 
In Batak a careful distinction is maintained in the use of 
the simple root and that of the adjectival form with the prefix. 
The latter is only used as a predicate, never as a qualifying 
adjective. ‘The sentence ‘“‘ Ma-timbo hayu on” means: this tree 
is high, while the expression “this high tree” is rendered by 
“ hayu na timho on,’ i. e. this tree which possesses height, which 
is high, this bigh tree. Other words belonging to this class are: 
*Tt is possible that the very word Malayu comes under this ru- 
brie. No previous explanation of the term has found general accepta- 
tion. The Tagalog “‘malayo” means “far, distant, strange, strang- 
er,” certainly a very suitable appellation for the roving strangers 
that settled in the archipelago. 
R. A. Soc., No. 39, 1903. 
