XV.—Remarks on the Siamese Language, by the Rev. Mr. Gutslaff

Extract

La Loubere, Kæmpfer, Finlayson, Crawfurd, and Major Burney have all treated upon a language, either casually or specifically, which is spoken from Quedah, on the western coast of the Malayan Peninsula, to the country of Laos; and is surrounded by its sister languages, those of Camboja, Pegu, Ava, and Laos. The Siamese language is one of the principal dialects of the Indo-Chinese nations, and is the next link in the chain which the Cochin-Chinese language forms between the Chinese and the Indo-Chinese languages. It bears a strong resemblance to that of Laos, has derived much from the Cambojian, but differs remarkably from the Peguan and Burmese.