THE MALAGASY LANGUAGE. 
493 
others branched out, (a pre-eminence that some have been 
inclined to claim for Java,) must prove, I apprehend, as fruitless 
as would be that of determining which of the Teutonic dialects 
gave birth to the others. To this, their subsequent degree of 
improvement has no direct relation. An equally unsuccessful 
endeavour has hitherto been, that of tracing their common 
descent from some one of the nearest continents; and we 
must be content to regard the language as original, in the ordi¬ 
nary sense of the expression, implying no more than its origin 
being in that state of obscurity, beyond which no connecting 
line or derivation can be traced.”* 
The degree of relation, if any, subsisting between this great 
insular language, and the languages of the South American 
continent, has not, perhaps, been very carefully examined. “ Not 
the slightest affinity appears between them,” says Mr. Marsden 
in an early part of the work above quoted. And on referring 
to specimens of the Araucanian of Chili, and the Kichuan of 
Peru, he remarks, that neither of these, (which are totally 
different from each other,) has even the most remote affinity to 
the Polynesian. Subsequently to this, Mr. M. appears to have 
been rather shaken in his confidence on this particular point, 
by conversation with Mr. Ellis, who, in his appendix to his 
Tour through Hawaii, had remarked, (page 471,) “ Some of the 
words of South America, in their simplicity of construction and 
vowel terminations, as Peru, Quito, pronounced Kito , Parana, 
Oronoko, &c. appear like Polynesian words.” 
A similar observation may be applied to the eastern coast of 
Africa, as compared with the western coast of Madagascar. 
It is impossible to look over a map, and not perceive the obvious 
similarity between the names of the districts and rivers of these 
two countries severally; such, for example as, Masambika, 
Sambesy, Zimba, Kilimany, Inhambany, Manisa, &c., on the 
side of Africa, which have not only a perfect resemblance 
to Malagasy names, but are either Malagasy roots variously 
combined, or actual words in the Malagasy language. Hence 
it may not be extravagant to express an opinion, that the great 
Polynesian language has extended its powerful influence even 
into the two remote continents of Africa on the west, and South 
America on the east. 
It may not be out of place to remark here, in reference to 
all comparisons between words and names, in different dialects 
and languages, that the differences are frequently rather apparent 
than real, arising out of the want of a uniform standard of 
orthography, and the consequent arbitrary methods writers are 
obliged to employ. The same word as addressed to the ear , 
* Marsden, ut supra, page 5. 
