Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/245

This page has been validated.
ESSAY IV
233

to a much more limited extent, seeing that it has only got one single language with really important written records of some antiquity, namely, Javanese; besides which, Old Jav. mostly exhibits the same phonetic state as Original IN. Nevertheless, IN research is in some instances able to detect such intermediate forms, and the cases where it is possible may be taken to fall pretty much under the following heads:

I. The intermediate form is found in Old Jav.:

Original form Intermediate stage Final result
Original IN Old Jav. Modern Jav.
dir2yus dyus adus, "to bathe"

II. The intermediate form is represented by the native spelling:

Original form Intermediate stage Final result
Original IN Written Minangkabau Spoken Minangkabau
sĕlsĕl sasal sasa, "to regret"

III. The intermediate form exists in a cognate dialect:

Original form Intermediate stage Final result
Original IN Tunong-Achinese Achinese Proper
batu batew batee

IV. The intermediate form can be ascertained by inference. If Original IN bar2a, "glowing embers", results in Bungku wea, we must assume a form waya as an intermediate stage: see § 136.

9. We often have reports that the older living generation adheres to an older phonetic stage, while a newer phonetic type has developed in the speech of the younger people. In Kamberese Original IN s becomes h, e.g. Kamb. ahu, "dog", < Original IN asu, but "one often hears old people pronouncing the s" (Wielenga).

10. Phonetic changes either take place unconditionally or are dependent on definite conditions. Original IN pĕpĕt unconditionally, in all cases where it occurs, becomes e in Dayak; thus Original IN tĕkĕn, "staff", results in Day.