Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 2.djvu/89

CHAPTER V. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE POLYNESIAN LANGUAGES. Resemblance between the tvhole of the Languages of the Indian Archipelago. — Resemblance in Sound.-— r-In Grammatical form.-ln Idiom.-Redundancy on some Subjects and 'poverty on others, — Great variety of Written Character — Three Alpha- bets on Sumatra, — One on Celebes. — A current and obsolete Alphabet on Java.'n-.East-insular Alphabets cannot be traced to the Hindus. — The improved Languages may be resolved into seven component parts,-- Radical portion of each language distinct. — Languages numerous in each Country in the di- rect ratio of their Barbarity. — Arguments in Favour of an aboriginal Language ivith each Tribe. — Great Polynesian Language — Pervades the whole of the languages of Polyne- sia, — Words of this Language most numerous inthe most culr tivated Dialects. — Nature oj' this Class of Words, — Conjec- tures respecting the People qfxvJiom the Great Polynesian was the Language. — Arguments injavour of Java being their country. — Influence of the Polynesian long prior to that of the Sanskrit, — Cognate Languages. — Probable history of their Reciprocal Influence on each other, illustrated in the In- fiuence of the Malay on the neighbouring Languages. — Ex- amples of that Influence, illustrated in the History of the Malay Language. — Sanskrit words admitted info all the improved Languages, — Probable history of its Introduc- tion, and arguments in Support of the Hypothesis adduced, — Kawif a recondite LanguagCy hptu formed,— Sanskrit