Sidney H. Ray Review By: Sidney H

Review: 106 Author(s): Sidney H. Ray Review by: Sidney H. Ray Source: Man, Vol. 6 (1906), pp. 173-174 Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2787941 Accessed: 27-06-2016 05:32 UTC

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This content downloaded from 128.163.2.206 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 05:32:28 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 1906.) MAN. [No. 106.

Farther India: Languages. Schmidt. 1. Grundziige einer Lautlehre der Khasi-Sprache in ihren Beziehungen zu 106 derjenigen der Mon-Khmer-Sprachen. Mit einem Anhang^: Die Palaung-Wa- und Riang-Sprachen des Mittleren Salwin. Von P. W. Schmidt, S.V.D. [Aus den Abbandlungen der Kgl. Bayer. Akademie der Wissenschaft I. Bi., XXII. Bd., 3 Abtl.] 136 pp. Muinchen, 1904. Verla,g der Akademie. Price 4 marks.

2. Grundziige einer Lautlehre der Mon-Khmer-Sprachen. Von P. W. Schmidt, S.V.D. [Denkschriften der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. Philos.-hiist. Ki., Bd. LI.] 234 pp. Wien, 1905, Gerold. Price 13 marks. P. W. Schmidt has set himself the task of investigating the lan,guages which are spoken in the countries around the Bay of Bengal, including with them the Khasi, the languaoges of the Munda Kolh districts of Bengal, and the dialects of the Malayan Peninsula and Nicobar Islands. With part of the region he dealt in a previous treatise, "die Sprachen (ier Sakei und Semang auf Malacca uni ihr " Verhiiltnis zu den Mon-Khmer-Sprachen." This was reviewed in MAN for 1902, No. 47. The first of the two works now noticed aims at establishing the relations of the Khasi to the Mon-Klhmer group of languages, but has also the practical purpose of settling the orthography of the language. The Khasi language is spoken by the inhabitants of the Khasi and Jaintia hills, round about Shillong, the seat of Government in Assam. With its five dialects of CherrapUnji, Lyngogam, Synteng, Pnar, and War, the Khasi has long been regarded as one of the most difficult languages to assign to anly of the various linguistic groups in that region of many tongues. Logan, so long, ago as 1853, witil the imperfect material for comparison which was then available, connected the Khasi with the Munda-Kolh languiages on the west and the MOn-Khmer on the east and south- east, whilst E. Kuhn has established its non-relationship to the languages of the Tibeto-Burman group. In his preface, P. Schmidt traverses the erroneous state- nments made by other writers as to word formation in Khasi. Hovelacque and Avery, for instance, state that words are formed by suffixes, though their so-called examples plainly show distinct words. Pryse, the earliest grammarian of Khasi, recognised the monosyllabic character of the language, although this did not appear in the language as printed. Ile stated that "fully three-fourths of its polysyllabic " words are even uov capable of being easily resolved into their monosyllabic root " words." It is this analysis of the Khasi into its constituent monosyllables wlich formris the principal portion of P. Schmidt's treatise. From a very careful classification and comparison of words he deduces the signification of the syllables which appear at the beginning of Khasi words, and shows that these, which to most observers would appear to be unmeaning particles, have yet definite meanings. Thus many words denoting names of relationships, parts of the body, animals, and plants begin with the guttural k, sometimes varying to kh, ky, khy, as, e.g., in ky-pa, father; ky-mi, mother ; khy-mat, eye ; ky-yat, leg ; k-1o i, heart ; k-sain, inisect ; k-tan, a kind of bamboo ; kh-wak, bat; k-wai, betel-nut. This prefix being taken as indicative of connection with a living thing, or a part of it, has the meaning confirmed by comparison with words which appear with or without the prefix, as e.g., tuwi, stinking k-tun, a stinking fish ; pok, interior; ky-pok, stoimach, heart, belly ; suit. to make a libation ; k-suid, ghost or demon. The same guttural is also found as the pronoun of the third person singular, ka, and in the grammar is used as a kind of article. This analysis of words is carried out in great detail, and is important not only because of the results here obtained with regard to the Khasi, buLt also because of the possible r esults of a similar analysis of other languages of South-eastern Asia. [ 173 ]

This content downloaded from 128.163.2.206 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 05:32:28 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Nos. 106-107.) MAN. (1906.

In Malay the appearance of words of related meaning with identical initial syllables has been remarked by Maxwell, as, e.g., bu-lan, moon ; bu-lat, round ; bu-ah, fruit, &c. The application of Schmidt's method to this and other languages of the Archipelago would probably lead to some interestinig results, and perhaps show a closer relation between the Malayan languages and those of the mainlalid than is now admitted. P. W. Schmidt denmonstrates the positioni of the Khasi with regard to the Mon- Khmer languages by means of a long comparative list. In this many of the Khasi words with the prefix removed are shown to be the same as the Mon, Khmer, Bahnar or Stieng. Thus, of words already quoted in this notice the Khasi, ky-pa, father is the Klhmer pa, Khasi ky-mi mother, is Mon mi, Khmer mne, Bahnar me', Stieno mei. But this agreement in word store is not regarded by Schmidt as establishing the Khasi as a member of the Mon-Klhmer family. He shows very many differences in phonology, word-building, grammiar, and vocabulary, and hence comes to the conclusion that, though related to the Mon-Khmer, the Khasi yet forms a distinct (selbstandige) language. The whole of the related languages he arranges thus 1. (a) Khasi (Khasi and Jaintia Hills). (b) Wa-angku, Riang, Palaung, Danau (basin of the middle Salwin River). (c) iNikobar. II. Semanig, Tembe, Senoi, Sakei (Malay Peninsula).

III. Mon, Khmer, Ballinar, Stieng, Huei, Suk, Stue, So, Hin, Nah-haug, Anam, (Pegu, Cambodia, Cochin-China), and Bersisi (Malay Peninsula). With this group he thinks it is also possible to connect the Kolh languages (Santhal, Mundari, Singbhum, and KLtrku) in spite of their distance so far west of the Khasi. A supplement to the first treatise discusses the dialects spoken in the basin of the Middle Salwin river, which are regarded as nearly related to the Khasi. These are dealt with in the same way as the Khasi. The phonology is discussed, and comparatives with the Klhasi and Mon-Khmer are shown in a table. P. W. Schmidt's second treatise lays the foundationi for an extensive alnd inti- mate investigation of the Mon-Khmer languages. He regardis these languages from their geographical position, as importaut links which may connect what he calls the Austronesian (i.e., In(lonesian, Melanesian, and Polynesian) languages with those of the Asiatic contineut. The fanguages analysed are the Mon, Bahnar, Stieng, and Khmer. Other related languages are disregarded, either through lack of sufficient material, or from tile presence of a strong foreign elemenit. Words are arranged according to their sounds and their changes and relationships are discussed in great detail. The inidustry and learning which P. Schmidt has bestowed upon this portion of his work is admirable, and in it he has laid a sure foundation for the proper comparative study of the languages of further India. The two treatises here noted are the most important which have yet been issued in this branch of philology. SIDN EY H. RAY.

England: Ethnology. Shore. Origin of the Anglo Saxon Race. By T. W. Shore. London: Elliot Stock, 107 1906. Pp. vi + 416. 22 x 14 cm. Price 9s. This book can be confidently recommiendedl to all interested in the history of the Britislh Isles. It is in the main a study of the customs and laws of the early English in so far as they deal with land-tenure and the rights of succession. With this is included a summary of the history as recorded by many eaily writers, and an [ 174 ]

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