ons to adapt
that alphabet to their language, and, in consequence of the adoption of
their religion from the same quarter, a great number of Arabic words are
incorporated with the Malayan. The Portuguese too have furnished them
with several terms, chiefly for such ideas as they have acquired since
the period of European discoveries to the eastward. They write on paper,
using ink of their own composition, with pens made of the twig of the
anau tree. I could never discover that the Malays had any original
written characters peculiar to themselves before they acquired those now
in use; but it is possible that such might have been lost, a fate that
may hereafter attend the Batta, Rejang, and others of Sumatra, on which
the Arabic daily makes encroachments. Yet I have had frequent occasion to
observe the former language written by inland people in the country
character; which would indicate that the speech is likely to perish
first. The Malayan books are very numerous, both in prose and verse. Many
of them are commentaries on the koran, and others romances or heroic
tales.

The purest or most elegant Malayan is said, and with great appearance of
reason, to be spoken at Malacca. It differs from the dialect used in
Sumatra chiefly in this, that words, in the latter, made to terminate in
"o," are in the former, sounded as ending in "a." Thus they pronounce
lada (pepper) instead of lado. Those words which end with "k" in writing,
are, in Sumatra, always softened in speaking, by omitting it; as tabbe
bannia, many compliments, for tabbek banniak; but the Malaccans, and
especially the more eastern people, who speak a very broad dialect, give
them generally the full sound. The personal pronouns also differ
materially in the respective countries.

Attempts have been made to compose a grammar of this tongue upon the
principles on which those of the European languages are formed. But the
inutility of such productions is obvious. Where there is no inflexion of
either nouns or verbs there can be no cases, declensions, moods, or
conjugations. All this is performed by the addition of certain words
expressive of a determinate meaning, which should not be considered as
mere auxiliaries, or as particles subservient to other words. Thus, in
the instance of rumah, a house; deri pada rumah signifies from a house;
but it would be talking without use or meaning to say that deri pada is
the sign of the ablative case of that noun, for then every pr