Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Author(s): R. Mee
Source: Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 7, No. 2 (107) (
September 1929), pp. 316-326
Published by: Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41559731
Accessed: 01-11-2015 15:26 UTC
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An Old Malay Dictionary.
By R. Mee.
An old and not verywell knownMalay Dictionary,but one
which is neverthelessworth notice, is that writtenby Thomas
Bowery,and printedin Londonin the year 1701.
It is worthnoticein thatit is thefirstMalay-English,English-
Malay Dictionaryproduced,and the pioneerworkby an English-
man in the Malay Language, both as regards vocabularyand
grammar;and takinginto consideration the conditionsunder,and
the date at whichit was produced,and the fact that Boweryhad
no previousbook of the kind (as he states) to guideand assist him
in compilingit, thelabourentailedmusthave been prodigious.
In his book entitled" Malaya " Dr. Winstedtstates,on page
263, in writing of the interestof StamfordRafflesin the Malay
"
language, most Europeansfail to grasp its grammaraftera life-
timeamong the people," but Bowery,althoughnot perfectin his
grammar,certainlyacquireda workingknowledgeof the language
whichis to be envied. Dr. Winstedtfurtherstates in the book
" forhis interestin the Malay
quotedthatRaffles was distinguished
language" and "mastered it fromsome antediluvian
book on a longvoyageto the East." Is it possiblethat the " ante-
diluvianbook" referred to was Thomas Bowery'sDictionary.
A descriptionof Bowery'sDictionary,and an extractor two
fromit,mayproveof interestto readersof thisJournal.
The title page reads:- A Dictionary English and Malayo,
Malayo and English. To which is added some short Grammar
Rules and Directionsfor the betterObservationsof the Propriety
and Elegancy of the Language. And also several Miscellanies,
Dialogues, and Letters,in English and Malayo for the Learners
betterunderstanding the Expressionsof the Malayo Tongue,etc.
The Book is dedicatedto the Honourablethe Diťectorsof the
EnglishEast-India Company,of whomtwenty-four are named,and
to the Honourable the Governor,Deputy Governourand .Com-
mitteesof the HonourableEast-India Company,twenty-six names
beinggiven.
In the dedicationBowerystates:- " The followingwork was
undertaken chieflyforthepromotion *oftradein the manycountries
wherethe Malayo language is spoke, whichyour honourshaving
perused in manuscript,were pleased to approve of; and to in-
"
couragethe publishingof it
A partof the Prefaceto the book readsas follows: -
"The Peninsula beyond Ganges stretchingdown to Johor,
whichis theextremesouthernpoint,and is the mostSouthernPoint
of Land in Asia, is generallycalled and knownby the name of the
JournalMalayan Branch [Vol. VII.
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An Old Malay Dictionary 317
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318 ft. Mee.
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An Old Malay Dictionary 319
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320 R. Mee.
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An Old Malay Dictionary 321
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322 R. Mee.
Phrasesand sentences: -
" Manacala sooda
" Tindascankootoo saya sangoolrambootko."
etoo."
" Patahcan etoo."
tulang
" Loontarlecha."
" moo."
" Janganmengoobahcanjanjee
" IVJataayer."
dua boolon."
" Tenga
Sakien banyak teda dapat de belang."
"
Jeka teda bolee menabrangberkangkang, menabrang
" berloompat.
Jeka kitta berjalan tummunea baick, attou kitta
bermainmaoo juga sawarang,hanya teda patoot
tummunderreepada benee."
"
Poongoot
" Sakit sayoo barang sedekit."
" petambobbee."
Kadang kadang anak anak looloom jarree nea pada
sanca nea dea mengisappintulsoosoo."
"
Jangontanea saja tetapee prixa dungan rajing pada
sahat enee."
" Boocon etoo cooda
jantan."
" Perbooatanindah indah etoo la."
" ko berdamparsooda de pooloo panjang."
Capal
" Dea sooda
singsing. lingan baju nea agar jangon de
basso."
" Dea kittaca tana.
" Dea mengampascan
can attas pakean ko."
" Boocaperchick ayer
" Adda lapoasa."
padda ko rooma sa booah benee so oran,
anak sa oran,cooda sa ecor,pedangsa ley."
Followingthe sectionof the book dealt withabove is a collec-
tion of ten dialogues,coveringvarioussubjects,among whichare
"A
dialoguebetweentwo friends "; "A Dialogue betweenthe King,
the Shabendar,the PepperWeigher,a Merchantand his Partner";
"A Dialogue about a Feast"; "A Dialogue about Sailing"; and
so forth. These Dialoguescoversometwenty-eight pages,and make
interestingand amusingreading.
A part of the tenth Dialogue is given below (omittingthe
Englishversionof the firstcolumn):-
Tootoorawneang ca so pooloo.
Tootoorawnantaraoran Malayo daen oran barangnegreelain.
De negreemana tuan.
Kitta oran Malayo, catawee de Darat besarr eang adda ca
sabla Salatan Siam sampee ca oojong tanjongetoo sabia Salatan
eang namaee Tanjong Johor,daen enee la de sebootcan negree
Malayo.
JournalMalayan Branch [Vol. VII.
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An Old Malay Dictionary 323
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324 R. Mee.
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An Old Malay Dictionary 325
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326 R. Mee.
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