THE ISLAND OF BALI. 
121 
of the Javanese. It has naturally undergone some changes, 
but in general vve find in it a rude Polynesian dialect, which, 
by the recognized relationship of all these languages, agrees 
most with the least polished dialects, the Sundanese and 
original Malay; while it is far behind, and greatly differs 
from, the polished language of Jkva, which, in the course 
of more than a thousand years, has been brought to its 
present refinement. On Bali for lour hundred years there 
were yet savages or half savages without a finely elaborated 
language. The same we may suppose to have been the 
case with the Malays before the reception of Mahoma- 
danism, and with the Sundanese before the kingdom of 
Padyadyaim came into existence. From this alone, that is, 
from the original relationship between all the languages 
from Sumatra to Bali and further to the east, which was 
only distinctly preserved where the people remained in a 
lower stage of civilization, we may explain the agreement 
between the Low Balinese tongue and the Sundanese and 
Malayan ; an immigration of Sundanese or Malays into Bali 
is not at ail to be thought of. The Javanese conquerors 
found this language the prevailing one on Bali and could not 
expel it, and for this reason in particular that the popula¬ 
tion of Ball was very numerous, and was brought under 
subjection more by the greater civilization of the Javanese 
than by the force of arms. The Javanese conquerors pre¬ 
served as a high language the Javanese which they brought 
with them; for their intercourse with the people of the land 
they had to learn the original Polynesian tongue, which alone 
was spoken by the former, and which to this day has a wider 
prevalence on Bali than the low language on Java. It is 
still exceedingly difficult, for a common man to express 
himself intelligibly in the high language; and to speak 
to each rank of a higher or lower degree with full 
conformity to the laws of politeness, is an accomplishment 
which many even of the young princes have not attained. 
The agreement between the Balinese and the Sundanese 
does not confine itself to words alone. Both have also only 
18 letters, while the Javanese possess 20; these 18 were as 
much as the Polynesian organ originally required; the se¬ 
cond d and t are properly foreign to these languages, and 
the distinct pronunciation which the Javanese give to 
them is not easily discriminated by the ear. Notwithstand¬ 
ing these characters, as well as the capital letters in the 
writing of the Balinese, are only used to express the 
corresponding Sanskrit characters t (cerebral) and d or dh t 
