OCCASIONAL NOTES. lOI 



The Abbe Favre in his Dictionary is guilty of two errors 

 in assuming sa " one," to be a contracted form of snatii, and 

 di4a, " two," to be derived from the Sanscrit dwi. Suatu. 

 he subsequently admitted to be a corruption of sa-batu, as 

 the Javanese sa-wiji or siji is a corruption of sa-hiji. 



The Rev. D. MacDonald of Efate, New Hebrides, going 

 further than Dr. Pardo DE Tavera, suggests a Semitic 

 origin for the Oceanic numerals. The theory is a very daring 

 one, for the Oceanic languages with their simple constructions 

 and soft syllables are utterly unlike the Semitic languages 

 with their harsh consonants, elaborate grammar,"^ and compli- 

 cated vowel inflexions, and no ethnologists would be likely to 

 support a theory that the Dyaks, for instance, are the lost ten 

 tribes of Israel. The points also to which Dr. DE TaverA 

 has drawn attention combat this theory, for the x^rabic nume- 

 rals are not collective nouns, nor do they show any connection 

 with quinary system. 



The resemblances traced by Mr. MacDonald between 

 Oceanic and Semitic forms are not so clear as to necessitate 

 his opponents explaining them away by any theory of coinci- 

 dences. 



The following table shows the "original forms" suggested 

 by him, together with the nearest existing forms in the Semitic 

 and Oceanic languages respectively : — 



Nearest Semitic form. Nearest Oceanic fnrm. 



Ihda (Arab) Aida (Timor) 



Tarawah (Socotra) Roa (Maori) 



T'laa (Syriac) Telo (Malagasy) 



Arbaat (Arab; Bate (Efate) 



Khams i-rab) Ikma (Aneit) 



Sitt (Arab) Butanga (Gilolo) 



Sabat (Arab) Mbut (Malicolo) 



T'man (Arab) Delapan (Malay) 



Esro (Syriac) Siyam ;Tagal) 



Eseru (Amharic) Sarone (Timbora) 

 These resemblances hardly carry conviction. In fact the 



* "There are thirty-three ordinary methods of forming the plural." — Socin's 

 Arabic Grammar. 





Original form. 



I 



'd' 



2 



r' 



3 



tT 



4- 



'b't 



■5 



k'm' 



6 



t' 



7 



b't' 



8 



I'p'n 



9 



s m 



10 



s'n' 



