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ESSAY IV
261
Quantity in Original Indonesian.
81. As we have got an "IN law of quantity", but it is counteracted by all sorts of special laws, as further there are difficulties about quantity in Old Javanese, and lastly as in not a few IN languages the available data about quantity are insufficient, we are not at present in a position to form a definite and trustworthy picture of quantity in Original IN.
Quality of the Vowels.
82. As regards the quality of vowels in IN we chiefly meet with two tendencies:
I. The quality depends upon the quantity. Long vowels are close, short ones are open. This law holds good for several languages.
II. The quality depends upon the sounds that follow. Thus in Minangkabau accentuated e before s, as in leseq, "zealous", is close, while before r, as lereṅ, "slope, descent", it is open.
Doubling of the Consonants.
83. What is called gemination, doubling of consonants, and the like, may represent several different phonetic values: see Sievers, "Phonetik", in his chapter entitled "Silbentrennung". As regards the nature of the IN double consonants, the following definitions (inter alia) give us some information. "In all these (i.e., certain Philippine) languages the gemination is real, that is, the two consonants are distinctly pronounced" (Conant). "In Bugis the consonants that are written double are pronounced so that the consonant both closes the preceding syllable and begins the following one" (Matthes). "The dividing line of syllabic stress[1] lies in the
- ↑ [The author gives the following illustration of what is meant by "the dividing line of syllabic stress" (Druckgrenze): "In the Italian word anno, "year", the an- is spoken decrescendo, and the -no crescendo. After the n of an- the voice is feeblest, weakest, and this is the 'Druckgrenze'."]
