Arabic (which are marked by . placed under the letters not used in ordinary Malay words) are sounded as in English.
Final "k" is only partially sounded, and the same sound is indicated by " ' " succeeding a vowel.
"Ng," which is one letter in the native character, is always sounded as in "singing," and never as in "anger"; the latter sound being indicated by an additional "g," which always in such case follows the "ng" in the native character.
"G" is always hard, as in "go"; never soft, as in "ginger." The vowels are sounded as in Italian, ˆ over them indicating the long sound, but not invariably the syllable on which the chief emphasis rests, which is marked by ´ over it, and if needed in addition to the ˆ, but ordinarily the ˆ, where it occurs, suffices to mark the emphatic syllable.
There is no mark over the ordinary short vowels, but the prosodial mark over "e" (besides the ordinary short "e" which gives the sound of "e" in "pen") is used to mark what may be called the indefinite vowel sound, a sound which closely resembles the "e" in the French "ce" and "le," and in the English "literal."
To enable the reader to more readily appreciate the position of the tribes whose traditions are here given, a rough map of the Malay peninsula is attached showing the states among which they are scattered. [The map is not reproduced.]
The following traditions were communicated to me by Batin[1] Pa' Înah,[2] one of the aboriginal chiefs, residing in the state of Johól.[3]
- ↑ Title of chiefs of aboriginal tribes, both on the mainland and on the Malacca seas. Possibly derived from Ar.: "bâtin," hidden, occult, a suitable title for those possessing the powers attributed to them.
- ↑ The father of Înah. But his original name was Kôloi, which is, however, still in use, as well as the later one. It is common for these people to be known later in life as the father of so and so.
- ↑ The position of this state can be seen in the map, but there is not space to show all the pettier states which once formed part of it but have since broken away.
poisonous effects if trodden upon. I was gravely informed by a Malay that our host, one of the chiefs of a tribe in the interior of Johór, used to walk round his little hamlet at night in the jungle unarmed and send any inquisitive tigers away by the mere force of his supernatural powers.
