Maxwell William Edward

A Manual of the Malay language Maxwell William Edward

Book Excerpt: ... Another characteristic list of words might be made, compounded with the monosyllable tang (which in Sakai and Semang means "hand"), and conveying an idea of seizing or holding. Tang-an the hand. Tang-kap to seize. Tang-kei a stalk. Tang-gong to support. Tang-gal to drop off (having left hold). Tong-kat a walking-stick, &c. The history of the Malay people is to be discovered in the language itself, for no authentic records of pre-Muhammadan times exist. Just as an insight into the early history of our own nation may be obtained by analysing the component parts of the English tongue, and assigning to each of the languages which have contributed to make it what it is their due proportion of influence, so, by resolving the Malay language into its separate elements, of which native, Sanskrit, and Arabic are the chief, and by examining the words contributed by each, it is possible to follow with some approach to historical...