SOME NOTES ON THE SAKAI DIALECTS. 29 



but not explained, any more than it can be told why in Malay 

 words with an initial s form the verb by dropping that letter 

 and substituting meny ti ^. In both Sakai and Malay it is pro- 

 bable that euphony to the native ear is alone responsible for such 

 rules. In Sakai the following are the phonetic changes which 

 words adopted by the aborigines from Malay undergo, accord- 

 ing to the original termination of the Malay word : — ■ 



( I ) All Malay words split up into component syllables. 



( II ) A final vowel becomes that vowel in its abrupt ( ' ) 

 form. Thus, luka, a wound, becomes in Sen-oi lu-ka\ 



( III ) Final m becomes final nasal p n . The vowel in the 

 last syllable sometimes changing from a to u. Thus, jeram., 

 a rapid, becomes je-rup n . 



( IV ) Final ng becomes final nasal k n . Thus, kuching, a 

 cat, becomes kn-chik n ; cherang, a clearing, becomes che- 

 rak n . 



(V) Final ak ) ek, ik, ok and uk in Malay, though silent in 

 that language, are pronounced as they are written and not as 

 they are pronounced by the Malays of the Peninsula, 



The reason for rule (V) is apparent. The Malay sound of 

 the finals written ak ) ek, ik, ok and uk are already in use by 

 the Sakai for another class of words adopted from the Malay, 

 as will be seen by rule ( II ) above. As stated in rule (IV), k*, 

 the only other appropriate sound, is employed for words 

 adopted from the Malay ending in ng. The only resource 

 left to the Sakai is, therefore, to pronounce the k in order to 

 distinguish between the final a, e, z", or u, and the final 

 ak, ek, ik, ok and uk, and this is accordingly done. 



I have now written all that I think it advisable to publish 

 at the present time, and finally I will briefly recapitulate 

 the conclusions which, I think, are shewn to be probable, if 

 not certain, from the evidence which I have submitted: 

 Firstly, then, I hold that the Sakai all speak various dialects 

 of a common tongue ; secondly, that they are more ancient 

 inhabitants of the Peninsula than are the Malays ; and lastly, 

 that the former have not derived any elementary roots from 

 the Sakai, 



/£th September, i$gt. 



