118 



EASTKRS AEON It API IV. 



pore, and all the large Mapaita of the nrehipelago ; lastly, at a few 

 trading rttatioits in Western New Guinea. 



The so-ettlled ** High" or Standard Malay language has also 1w.ni the 

 chief medium of thldc and general illteLvoiirae lUnHL^lujut tin E,i>le: 11 

 Archipelago, at Icusfc for the hist four hundred years. Thia wiw dm-, net 

 to any superiority of the Orang Malawi over other memhera of the Malay 

 finally, but |iiirt] y to the rapid s|in-nd in mvul tiim -- nf ill" Mnlianine-dari 

 religion through Mnlay tradi-v.* and inisgionaries, partly to the softness and 

 «Liik[i]ieitv of the Malay language itself. The adoption of the general 



favour, ami it thus ultimately superseded the Javanese, Macassar, Bugia, 

 mid all other claimants for suprvniacy in the archipelago. 



tl in noteworthy tlint, with tin- i-xceplion Hit" the MhLj-h |u-n|>i-r, uLL the 

 rtthtired MulrtVsili l NT, [.]<•-, -ihli us the Kejoiig* of Suiiuitta, Dm Javanese, 

 the Bqgtl of Celebes, and even the Tugalits of the Philippine Islmnds, mnko 

 u*e of peculiar writing systems, which am certainly antecedent to ihu 

 introduction of the AmbL- hitters Ky the MohamoraLmi. Wliilfl differing 

 greatly in appBtTMu-e, th« alphabets K'Meiubte eaeli other in their funeral 

 ch-ii-ii'-t.-ristii^, all running from left to right hi horizontal lines, and being 

 somewhat of a nylkbic lypo. This points at n common origin of theae 

 orthographic system*, which have in fact been traced to an Indinu source. 

 The prototype are probably tin- Uudi|Iii«t letters as seen espceially on thn 

 roek inscriptions of King Asoka, dating from about the third century B.C. 



To the same fundamental Malay stock belong several other groups, 

 whieh have had uti ind-'jn :id. n: historic evolution, wlu'eh Hpeak 

 languages more or le&* intimately connected wiih rhe mcutuon Malay 

 sjn-i-eli, ill I ■ I which III their | .1 • % si.-.l! appearance -lill hi-H".ij thi-ir 

 iTinuiMOL "leieeiU fri.ii u tin- Mntjgnloiil people* i it' Southern A>iu. All 

 stand tliUH related to each other much in the *ame way, Tnr instance, 

 oa the various member* **i the Aryan futnily nre related one in flu 

 other* They fonn the bulk of the population in North Sumatra, 

 Java, the Leasar Stands Isles us far as Sumbava, Celebes, the Philip- 

 pine and Sulu Aichipehtgrie-s. Thus are constituted altogether tno 

 more or Len distinct Malayan groups, which may be ijibulatod u* under : 



Orang Malnyu (MsSfiya Proper) : Mriuingkiilsiit, Palembang, 

 and Lainpnng in Sumatra ; Khio-Linggu Isle* ; Singapore, llmtnng, 

 Ltugeiit Banco, Biliton, Bornean Seaboard, Tidore Teriiule, and 

 We*t Jilolo, scattered communities in all the trading placet through- 

 out thi' Archipelago. 



Suraat rati Group : A t j i wm, VLvjm i u. -, Pi p-uitisilis. 



Javanese Groupi Juvano*e proper, Siirch.i - .- (WV-i J«vili> 

 M^adurvKej, llaline*e t with (he hutive.-* of Loinbok, who call tlu-ni.-olves 



8itiiWMi 



Celeboa Group : Bugi«, Mangkn^saras, and others in Celebes 

 Mun.i, P.ui'oul, Suuibaw;!, Sulu it). 



