A Manual of the Malay Language

PART II.. Composition of Sentences.

COMPOSITION OF SENTENCES.

Owing to the absence of inflexion, the composition of simple sentences in Malay offers few difficulties. The phrases and exercises which will be given in this Part are simple and elementary, serving thus as a preparation for others of progressive difficulty to be reached at a later stage.

LESSON I.

SUBSTANTIVES.

person (man, woman, or child), orang. man, laki-laki. woman, per-ampu-an. child, anak. house, rumah. water, ayer. fire, api. wind, angin. wood, kayu. carriage, kreta. horse, kuda. ship, kapal. steamer, kapal-api. boat, sampan. cow, ox, lumbu. dog, anjing. bird, burong. snake, ular. fish, ikan. sun, mata-hari. moon, bulan. star, bintang. sea, laut. river, sungei. cloth, kain.

ADJECTIVES.

good, baik. new, b[)a]haru. naughty, wicked, jahat. beautiful, bagus. pretty, chantek. wise, pandei. stupid, bodoh. large, b[)e]sar. small, k[)e]chil. deep, dalam. swift, laju. high, tinggi. round, bulat. old, tuah. young, muda. cold, s[)e]juk. hot, panas. far, jauh. near, d[)e]kat. coarse, kasar. fine, halus.

ADVERBS.

very, baniak. exceedingly, sangat.

Before showing how sentences may be constructed with these words by means of the verb ada, and with the aid of the personal pronouns, two of the hints already given are here repeated:--

1. Adjectives follow their substantives.

2. The verb ada is frequently omitted and left to be understood.

EXAMPLES.

A bad man-- Orang jahat. A pretty woman-- Perampuan chantek. A high house-- Rumah tinggi. A high wind-- Angin b[)e]sar. Cold water-- Ayer s[)e]juk. This is my child-- Ini anak sahaya (not, Ini ada sahaya punya anak). That bullock-cart is mine-- Kreta lumbu itu sahaya punya. That pony-carriage is swift-- Kreta kuda itu ada laju. That person has a dog-- Orang itu ada sa'ekor anjing. That woman's cloth is very fine-- Kain perampuan itu halus sangat. This man has one son and two daughters-- Orang ini ada anak laki-laki sa'orang dan anak perampuan dua orang. The steamer is near-- Kapal-api ada d[)e]kat. His child is very naughty-- Anak dia baniak jahat. They have a boat-- Dia orang ada sa'buah sampan. There are men and women-- Ada orang laki-laki dan perampuan. The old man has a piece of coarse cloth-- Orang tuah itu ada kain kasar sa'lei.

EXERCISE.

I am a good man. His child is very wise. The moon is round. They have a beautiful horse. My boat is very large. The sea is very deep. The sun and stars are very far off. This person has a vicious dog. That man's daughter is beautiful. This river is very swift. A small snake. This ox is very old. That person's boat is small. There are fish. There is a bird. The water of the river is warm. There are stupid people and there are wise people. His ship is very far off.

LESSON II.

ON THE SECOND PERSON.

The use of the word angkau and similar pronouns is to be avoided as much as possible. When the pronoun of the second person cannot be understood but must be expressed, angkau, or the local or provincial word used in substitution for it (according to the part of the Archipelago in which the speaker finds himself), may be employed. In addressing natives of rank or of superior position, the appropriate forms should be used. The word lu should never be used to a Malay; it is, however, in common use among those Chinese who use Malay as a medium of communication with other nationalities. On the subject of the second person see supra, p. 49.

SUBSTANTIVES.

animal, b[)e]natang. father (common form), bapa. father (polite form), ayah, ayahnda. mother (common form), mak, ibu. mother (polite form), bonda. elder brother, abang. elder sister, kakak. younger brother or sister, adek. boy or girl, budak. brother or sister, sudara. husband, laki. wife, bini. forest, hutan. tree, pokok. plain, padang. shop, k[)e]dei. fruit, buah. sky, langit. ground, tanah. dollar, ringgit. road, jalan. age, `umur.

ADJECTIVES.

long, panjang. short, pendek, pandah. sweet, manis. wet, basah. dry, k[)e]ring. many, baniak. rich, kaya. poor, miskin. strong, kuat. hard, k[)e]ras. soft, lumbut. few, sadikit.

VERBS.

to say, kata. to go, pergi. to run, lari. to talk, chakap. to tell, bilang. to arrive, sampei. to sit, duduk. to dwell, tinggal. to send, kirim. to bring, bawa.

EXAMPLES.

To a Raja.

Your house is very large-- Rumah tunku baniak besar. Your father is very old-- Ayahnda tunku tuah sangat. This is your horse-- Ini tunku punya kuda.

To a respectable Chinese.

There is a quantity of cloth in your shop-- Ada baniak kain-kain didalam baba punya k[)e]dei. When did you arrive?-- Towkay bila sampei? Your elder brother is very rich-- Towkay punya abang baniak kaya. Your carriage and mine are alike-- Kreta baba dengan kreta sahaya ada sama.

To a Malay Headman.

There are a number of people in your house-- Ada baniak orang di-dalam rumah datoh. Your son is very strong-- Anak datoh, baniak kuat. Where do you live?-- Datoh di-mana tinggal?

To a Malay of superior rank.

What do you say to it?-- Apa kata inche? Who told it to you?-- Siapa bilang kapada inche? Your elder sister has a great many fruit-trees-- Inche punya kakak ada baniak pokok buah.

To a Sayyid or Haji.

Where are you going to?-- Tuan handak pergi ka-mana? What is your age?-- B[)e]r-apa `umur tuan? I wish to talk a little with you-- Sahaya handak chakap sadikit dengan tuan.

To Persons of inferior rank.

Who are you?-- Siapa kamu? Is this yours?-- Angkau punya-kah ini? Where is your house?-- Di-mana rumah angkau? Bring your hat-- Bawa topi s[)e]ndiri. Where do you live?-- Di-mana tinggal? Have you got a light?-- Ada api? Why are you so late?-- Apa buat lambat ini? When you were at the shop just now, who was there?-- Apabila angkau di k[)e]dei tadi siapa ada di-situ?

EXERCISE.

Where is your shop? Is this your mother? You and your brother were running. You are very stupid. Have you told your elder sister? Your son has arrived. Was it you who sent fruit? What did you say to him? When will you go? You will bring a boat. You went to the jungle.

LESSON III.

SUBSTANTIVES.

news, khabar. workman, tukang. cat, kuching. rat, tikus. sugar, gula. needle, jarum. form, rupa. elephant, gajah.

ADJECTIVES.

excellent, endah. careful, jimat. worthless, burok. difficult, susah.

VERBS.

To do, make, buat. To seek, ch[)a]hari. To conceal, sembunyi. To find, obtain, dapat.

ON THE DEGREES OF COMPARISON.

One form of the comparative degree is similar in construction to the Hindustani comparative, that is to say, the object with which the comparison is made is put in the ablative case (by the use of the preposition deri or deri-pada), while the adjective remains unmodified by adverb or particle. Thus the phrase "This house is larger than that," may be rendered Besar rumah ini deri rumah itu (Yih ghar us ghar se ba[r.][-a] hai).

EXAMPLES.

The rumour is better than the reality-- Endah khabar deri rupa. The Chinese workman is more skilful than the Kling-- Pandei tukang China deri tukang Kling. The cat is larger than the mouse-- Besar kuching deri tikus. This is better than that-- Baik ini deri-pada itu. (Note that the adjective always precedes the objects compared.)

The comparative degree is also formed by the use of the adverb lebeh or ter-lebeh, more, prefixed to the adjective, which is followed by the preposition deri or deri-pada.

Hotter than before-- Lebeh panas deri dahulu. Sweeter than honey-- Lebeh manis deri gula. It is better to go than to remain-- Ter-lebeh baik pergi deri-pada tinggal.

The adverb lagi, more, is sometimes used instead of lebeh.

You must make it larger-- Mahu buat besar lagi. This is better-- Ini lagi baik.

Another form of comparison is constructed with the adverb korang, less, prefixed to the adjective; as korang baik, not very good; korang biasa, inexperienced (lit. less accustomed).

The superlative degree is formed in several ways: First, by making a comparison of universal application; as--

This is the best (lit. this is better than all)-- Baik ini deri sumua. The finest needle of all-- Jarum yang lebeh halus deri-pada sumua-nia. The hardest of all to obtain-- Yang ter-lebeh susah men-dapat deri-pada sumua-nia.

Secondly, by the use of the adverb sakali, very, exceedingly, after the adjective when the latter is preceded by the relative pronoun yang; as--

The best-- Yang baik sakali. The worst-- Yang burok sakali. Such-a-one was the handsomest-- Yang elok sakali si-anu.

Thirdly, by duplication of the adjective, which then takes the particle sa before it; as--

The quickest pace of an elephant is the slowest walk of a man-- Sa-chepat-chepat jalan-an gajah, sa-lambat-lambat jalan an orang. The very least-- Sa-korang-korang. Utterly and completely guilty-- Sa-penoh-penoh salah. The most just king-- Sa-adil-adil raja. With the greatest care-- Dengan sa-habis-habis jimat. You must look out for the very best article-- Handak ch[)a]hari yang sa-baik-baik-nia. He hides it with the greatest pains-- Di-sembunyi-kan-nia dengan sa-buleh-buleh-nia.

EXERCISE.

My horse is better than your horse. These people are more stupid than those. The form of the horse is handsomer than that of the elephant. The men are more wicked than the women. The pace of the horse is swifter than that of the elephant. That woman is the handsomest, but this one is the wisest. His house is the worst of all. Bring the slowest elephant of all. The father is wiser than the child. It is better to bring the ox than the horse.

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