146 TRANSLITERATION OF MALAY. 
force of the vowel a and when to introduce their signs for the pecu- 
liar vowel-sound which they want to represent. 
KEASBERRY writes samoa and sakarang, but siblah, sidikit and 
siibab, 
CrawFurp writes sabenar, sdbab, sadikit and sadikit, sakarang 
and sdkarang, sambilan and sémbilan; one word is spelt in four 
different ways, sépdrti, sapdarti, sapurti and sdpurti ; he introduces 
the vowel in a curious manner in the Sanskrit words srigala, which 
he spells sdrigala, and sloka, which he spells sdloka. The short 
vowels in the Sanskrit word sdbda and the Arabic word sdbti are 
represented in different ways. 
The Spelling Committee of the Straits Settlements write 
Selangor, Sarawak and sembilan, though it is not clear why sa is 
allowed to stand in Sarawak while Salangor is held to be wrong. 
The adoption of the syllable se in sembilan (nine) is still more sin- 
cular, for the vowel is clearly a, sambilan being derived from sa- 
-aimnbil-an, “one taken away (from ten).” In most instances this 
initial syllable is derived from the Sanskrit sa or sam (with) and 
it cannot be right to render it by se or sé, which do not more 
nearly approach the Malay pronunciation than sa. 
Many other instances might be given. I have seen in Govern- 
iment publications the name of the Malay State “ Patani,” spelt 
“Pétani.” Yet it can hardly be gaid that there is good reason for 
departing from the established mode of spelling this word (which 
has been spelt “ Patani’’ from the days of Jamus I.), when itis 
remembered that the Malay historical work called Sajarah Malayu 
says that the state was called after a fisherman who had a son 
called Zuni and was therefore called Pa-Tani (Tani’s father). How- 
ever absurd this derivation may be, its occurrence in a purely na- 
‘tive work is at all events conclusive as to the pronunciation of the 
first syllable. 
SYS THM PR OL Oy aD: 
VOWELS. 
The only use of the accents which will be inserted is to denote 
that the yowelis expressed in the Malay text. No sign will be used 
