Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/90

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78
INDONESIAN LINGUISTICS

19.   We have, therefore, demonstrated the existence of a Common IN word kayu, which contains the vowel a. We also became acquainted in § 1 with a Common IN laṅit, “ sky ”, and later on we shall meet with the Common IN words apuy, “ fire ”, ama, “ father ”, ina, “ mother ”, ratus, “ hundred ”, and a, “ the ”, as well as the Common IN formatives ka-, ta-, and -an. All these forms agree in containing the vowel a. The amount of this material is so large that we may without hesitation pronounce the vowel a to be Common IN.

20.   The vowel i.   This vowel is proved to be Common IN by the word aṅin, “ wind ”, in accordance with the following table:

Wind.   Philippines, Iloko : aṅin — Celebes, Bug.: aṅiṅ — Borneo, Sampit: aṅin — Java, Sund.: aṅin — Sumatra, Toba: aṅin — Malay Peninsula, Mal.: aṅin — Madagascar, Hova : anina — Eastern Border, Bim. : aṅi — South-Western Border, Simalurese: aṅin.

Note I.—Phonetic laws: “ Bug. and Mak. unify all Common IN final nasals into ṅ ”, hence Bug. aṅiṅ < aṅin.—“ Hova unifies all Common IN final nasals into -na ”, hence anina < aṅin.

Note II.—The law in accordance with which Common IN has become n in Hova, as in anina < aṅin, and the law in accordance with which final consonants disappear in Bim., as in aṅi < aṅin, have already been given. We assume that the reader will make a mental note of all such laws, and we therefore mention each of them only once.

21.   We have become acquainted with a Common IN word aṅin, “ wind ”, which contains the vowel i. In the course of our enquiry we shall meet with many other Common IN words containing the same vowel. But we will content ourselves with specifying this one instance, the word aṅin ; the reader will, of course, notice the other cases; and in the sequel we shall pursue the same method. We therefore pronounce the vowel i to be Common IN.

22.   The vowel u. This is proved to be Common IN by the word kayu, dealt with in § 18.