Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/52

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INDONESIAN LINGUISTICS

The following examples illustrate the use of these interjections in the sentence:

Day.: sindä mamaṅkih, sar basila = “ (When one) but once deals a cut (at it), ‘ sar ’ (the wood) is split ”. Gayo: sur itĕgudne luju e = “ ‘ Sur ’, he pulled out his (=e) knife ”.
β. Gayo: kak, “ raven ”.
Day.: buroṅ kak, “ raven ”.
Toba: si-gak, “ the raven ”.
Nabaloi: uak, “ raven ”.

II.   The external event has the characteristic of being sudden or momentary, but it can scarcely be maintained that the form of the interjection is an imitation of the event. These cases are particularly numerous in Jav. and Sund. Examples from Sund.: bĕs, interjection used of diving; bral, at departing; bray, when it grows light; jlog, at a sudden arrival.

III.   The external event lacks the characteristic of suddenness. Sund. examples: rĕd, interjection when binding; tret, when writing.—

Obviously these groups are not sharply differentiated from one another. Gayo sur and Sund. ser, which owing to their sound have been included under I., might equally well have been put under II.

67.   Thirdly, the interjection expresses a complete judgment. Examples: Gayo cup, “ that is against the rules!”, but the same cup in Jav.: “ Yes, that is so !”

68.   The second category is that of the words for calling, frightening away, and urging on. Examples: Mad. yuh incites dogs; Jav. cik calls dogs; Karo ciṅ calls cats, etc.

Through many languages there runs the call kur, which is used for calling fowls and summoning back the departing vital spirit of persons in a faint, etc. In Mal., Gayo, Jav., and written Mkb. it has the form kur; Bĕsĕmah, in accordance with the law stated in § 62, has kor.

69.   The third category is that of the “ suckling ” words of children's speech, or, as Paul in his “ Prinzipien der Sprach-