Art. XV.—Outlines of a Grammar of the Malagasy Language

H. N. Van der Tuuk

doi:10.1017/S0035869X00160976

Art. XV.—Outlines of a Grammar of the Malagasy Language

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011

H. N. Van der Tuuk

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I. The Malagasy belongs unquestionably to the stock of languages which have been denominated Malayo-Polynesian, and more particularly to the great Western Branch, which comprehends the languages of the lank-haired races of the Indian Archipelago and the Philippines, and which we shall call Malayan (from the most predominating language in that part of the globe), to distinguish it from the Eastern Branch, which may be called Maorian (from the Maori of New Zealand), the geographical term Polynesian haying the disadvantage of not excluding the languages of the crisp-haired races. The Malagasy bears the greatest analogy to the Toba dialect of the Batak in pronunciation (III), and many salient points in its grammatical structure may be pointed out (IV) to prove its affinity to Javanese, Batak, Malay, Dayak, and other Malayan tongues.

Type: Original Communications
Information: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , April 1865 , pp. 419 - 446

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00160976 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1865

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^{page 419 note 1} Against Crawfurd's Dissertation, p. 4.

^{page 419 note 2} Of which only the Ngaju is sufficiently known.

^{page 419 note 3} Against Crawfurd, 1. 1. p. 7, below.

^{page 420 note 1} o as u in German and Italian.

^{page 420 note 2} v as w in Dutch.

^{page 420 note 3} nd often = n as medial (compare the last word in III. 1).

^{page 421 note 1} The vowel of the final syllables tra, na, and Ka, is but slightly sounded, and in some dialects of the Malagasy dumb.

^{page 421 note 2} ṅ as ng in singer, ng being pronounced as ng in longer (in Malay, etc., words represented by ngg); see also I. Observation, in note 3.

^{page 422 note 1} Kawi and Javanese ĕn, Tagal in.

^{page 423 note 1} See Opmerkingen naar aanleiding van eene taalkundige bijdrage van den Hoogleeraar Roorda, p. 35.

^{page 424 note 1} For other examples see Tobasche Spraakkunst, p. 65a.

^{page 425 note 1} See § 15.

^{page 425 note 2} See § 11.

^{page 425 note 3} See the fourth part of the Bataksch Leesboek, p. 111.

^{page 425 note 4} 1.1. p. 156; buluh is bamboo, and bulu hair.

^{page 426 note 1} See below, § 15.

^{page 426 note 2} See Tobasche Spraakkunst, § 24.

^{page 427 note 1} Other rules of the transmutation of sound will be found in the course of the grammar.

^{page 427 note 2} In Malay and Javanese adopted without the l of the article (see also VI. 5), and a different meaning.

^{page 428 note 1} In the Batak Dictionary this word is by mistake put under tangga I. and should be put under II.: to give shame in Batak is the term for scolding, abuse (see ila in the Batak Dictionary).

^{page 428 note 2} See Flacourt, Histoire de la grande île Madagascar, p. 195.Google Scholar

^{page 428 note 3} Flacourt, 1. 1. p. 188, gives a list of thirteen astrological books, of which the titles are evidently Arabic; and p. 177 he gives the title of an Arabic-Malagasy Dictionary, and twenty-seven titles of books on medicine.

^{page 429 note 1} Ile Bourbon, 1855.

^{page 429 note 2} As, for instance, ia and io, which are syllables commencing with consonantal y (ya and yo, see § 16).

^{page 430 note 1} See, for instance, the third edition of de Hollander's Handleiding bij de beoefening der Maleische Taal en Letterkunde, p. 31, where dáun is stated to be a monosyllable. The pronunciation down belongs to the lingo of European Malay.

^{page 430 note 2} For want of the proper type, we express this guttural nasal by ṅ.

^{page 431 note 1} Compare Observation, § 3.

^{page 434 note 1} By q is meant a final k swallowed up, being a kind of click.

^{page 434 note 2} See Tobasche Spraakkunst, p. 63 c.

^{page 435 note 1} According to rules, which will be specified below, the pronominal suffixes differ, when taking place after the dumb syllable.

^{page 437 note 1} Távo is the name {vóa meaning fruit). This távo (Batak tábu, § 17, 6) is in Malay lábu (with the first syllable dropt, the Sanskrit alābu). This word is an interesting proof that the Sanskrit words came into Malagasy from the Indian Archipelago. In the Malayan l and n interchange very often (Tobasche Spraakkunst, p. 64, iv.Google Scholar) so that a former nábu is probable. Now the nasals having a verbal sense are often changed into the sharp mute of their class (littera tenuis) whenever the word is current as substantive (see Taco Roorda's beoefening van 't Javaansch bekeken, p. 8, annotation), and so we get tábu (see Addenda, p. 28).

^{page 438 note 1} Johns's Dictionary has ozoiny without an accent (see under manjo from zo). This work has neglected the accent to such an extent that it is sometimes impossible to see the derivation of a word; so for instance, it has ombe, whereas the grammar of the French Jesuits has ombé (chief, magnate), from which it appears that it is to be derived from be (great).

^{page 438 note 2} See Tobasche Spraakkunst, p. 35,Google Scholar D. III.

^{page 439 note 1} See 1

^{page 440 note 1} Flacourt's vocabulary I have not been able to consult, the alleged word having been taken from Von Humboldt's great work on the Kawi.

^{page 440 note 2} The Dictionnaire Français-Malgache (Ile Bourbon, 1855) has tómitră as the provincial word (see under talon).

^{page 440 note 3} See Opmerkingen naar aanleiding van eene taalkundige verhandeling van den Hoogleeraar Roorda, p. 48.

^{page 440 note 4} See Batak Dictionary and Tobasche Spraakkunst, p. 65, vi.Google Scholar

^{page 442 note 1} Bijdragen tot de Taal-Land-en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch Indie (nieuwe volgreeks, vol. viii.) p. 88.Google Scholar

^{page 442 note 2} Taco Boorda's Beoefening van 't Javaansch bekeken, and Opmerkingen naar aanleiding van eene taalkundige bijdrage van den Hoogleeraar T. Roorda.

^{page 443 note 1} Of course all the languages have not an equivalent in sound; so for instance, the Batak word for “to sleep” is módom or mĕdĕm (compare Kawi mĕrĕm).

^{page 443 note 2} The o in the Javanese in these cases may be explained by the broad pronunciation in English of water, whereas in the Scotch and Dutch word the clear French a is heard.

^{page 443 note 3} In the Batak Dictionary, under torap, these words are, by mistake, wrongly spelt.

^{page 444 note 1} Save when initial (see dungug, I. 8).

^{page 444 note 2} See Tobasche Spraakkunst, § 17, IV. a.

^{page 444 note 3} In this language the pronominal suffix ta used in poetry requires after vowels a corresponding nasal.

^{page 444 note 4} The prefix mag of the Tagal and Bisaya has dwindled down into ag in Iloco.

^{page 444 note 5} Also Malay.

^{page 445 note 1} In Malay still a substantive (food of animals of prey).

^{page 445 note 2} In Javanese it is mang£a, and is still a substantive (season).

^{page 445 note 3} The r is often put as a final of the first syllable of words of more than two syllables; v.g. marmáta = Sanskrit manmatha, dirgantara = digantara, etc.,

^{page 445 note 4} With the natives Bantĕn.

^{page 446 note 1} Hence in his edition of Gericko's Javanese Dictionary and the Supplement, which he edited with Meinsma, we find a great many mistakes unconnected, whilst a great many Malay words have not been compared at the proper places.

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Art. XV.—Outlines of a Grammar of the Malagasy Language

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