54 THE SAKAI AND SEMANG DIALECTS. 
Still, after making a reasonable allowance for these sources 
of error, there remains a large number of words in which the 
existence of prefixes is quite certain. Their meaning is more 
difficult to arrive at, but some, e. g., Ka- in Bésisi and ma- in 
Sémang are undoubtedly verbal, and there are others which are 
apparently adjectival and pronominal or demonstrative. One 
very curious verbal prefix found ina dialect of the Northern 
Sakai group (but by the collector, De Morgan, called Sémang) | 
appears to vary its final consonant to suit the final consonant of 
the principal root: e.g. népchip “to go”, nebliip “to enter,” 
nékpok “to open.” This would seem to be in reality a combina- 
tion of a prefix and a broken down repetition of the root word. 
The author after comparing in succession the pronouns, 
personal, possessive, demonstrative and interrogative, proceeds 
to deal with the syntax of the substantive. It is worth noting 
that, so far as appears, the same system of syntax runs through 
all these dialects. The nominative (subject) precedes the 
predicate; the genitive, adjective and demonstrative pronoun 
follows the verb which governs it. Apparently there is no 
foundation, at any rate in the materials here analysed, for the 
theory that in Sémang the ideology is different. 
Next the numerals are compared: here there is a clear 
classification into groups, and as the numerals raise certain points 
of some difficulty and considerable interest it seems desirable to 
give specimens of the various types which occur. hey are as 
follows :— 
I I] iOU IV 
Sémang. Sakat. Sakai. Bésisi (and 
other southern 
( Témbe’ ) ( Sé00 ) dialects) 
i nai men (mel) — = nanu = St 
2: bie nar narr "mbar 
3.. (various). ne’ ni "mpe’ 
4, (various) (none) (none) npun 
5, (none) (none) (none) misok" 
6. (none) (none) (none) péru 
7. (none) (none) (none) tempo 
For three in Sémang the forms pat, ne, div and for four 
sa-beh and nos.are given. These seem doubtful; but all the forms 
Jour, Straits Branch: 
