DICTIONARY OF SOME WORDS OF THE MALDIVE LANGUAGE
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 April 2011
Summary
In many parts of my book I have observed upon the diversity of languages which are current throughoat the East Indies. I shall therefore content myself here, by merely repeating that about Goa and its neighbourhood, besides the Portuguese, which is the chief one in vogue, there is a native language called Canarine. Next there is the Malabar, which extends along the whole Malabar coast, from Ceylon and Cape Comory as far as Goa; for on the opposite coast, toward the east, the language commonly spoken is that called Guzerate, which extends far into the inner country of the mainland and the realm of the Grand Mogor. This language is also spoken in Cambaye, Bengal, Bisnagat, and elsewhere, differing only slightly in dialects and idioms. At Malacca there is a language called Malaye, which also prevails over a wide region, even to the Sunda Islands; for example, Sumatra, the Javas, the Moluccas, etc. As for the Maldives, they have their own separate language, which is spoken only at those islands. The best is spoken in the northern islands near the king's court, for towards the south they speak somewhat more rudely, being more remote from the court, and from intercourse with other nations. Besides this vulgar tongue, they use also the Arabic language for the affairs of religion and matters of science, just as Latin is employed with us; it is spoken and understood only by the priests and the learned.
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- The Voyage of François Pyrard of Laval to the East Indies, the Maldives, the Moluccas and Brazil , pp. 405 - 422Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1890