A vocabulary of the Besisi dialect
W. W. Skeat, serving as Acting District Officer in Ulu Langat, Selangor, compiled this alphabetical vocabulary of the Besisi (Sakai) dialect in 1896, providing Besisi terms alongside Malay glosses for a wide range of semantic fields. The work constitutes a continuation of an earlier portion (marked “A.—Continued”), and it represents one of the earliest systematic lexical records of a Peninsular Malay Peninsula Negrito language, produced within the colonial administrative framework of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States.
Summary
The vocabulary is organized alphabetically from A through W and covers an extensive range of lexical domains: body parts and anatomy, kinship terminology, flora and fauna (including detailed lists of rattan varieties, snake species, bird names, and tree names), tools and weapons, verbs of action, colours, numbers, and everyday domestic vocabulary. Each entry typically provides the Besisi form, the Malay equivalent in parentheses, and often an illustrative phrase or compound. Skeat’s fieldwork context as a district officer in Ulu Langat gave him direct access to Besisi speakers in the jungle settlements of the Selangor interior, and the vocabulary reflects the practical, ecological vocabulary of a forest-foraging people.
Beyond simple word-listing, the text embeds ethnographic observations that give it value beyond pure lexicography. Skeat records folk beliefs (such as the Sakai interpretation of the “tiger’s jackal” bird’s song as a warning of a tiger’s proximity), seasonal knowledge (the period of north winds when tigers are said to descend from Gunong Ledang), and comparative linguistic notes (e.g., the Javanese cognate kanchil for mouse-deer, the Malay hiram possibly underlying the Besisi word for “black,” and the Orang Trengganu form orsok for “come” compared with Besisi ohok). The vocabulary also documents the degree of Malay borrowing in Besisi, with many terms for culturally introduced objects (pens, paper, kerosene, European-style pots) taken directly from Malay.
The work is notable for its attention to ecological specificity: the rattan list alone enumerates over thirty varieties with local names, and the snake list identifies sixteen species. These entries, combined with the tree-name specimens and the detailed anatomy of the foot, suggest that Skeat was recording not merely a translation dictionary but a functional vocabulary of jungle life.
Key Findings
- The vocabulary documents the Besisi dialect as spoken in the Ulu Langat district of Selangor, with the author’s administrative posting providing direct field access to speakers (p. 13).
- A detailed list of over thirty rattan (chong) varieties is recorded, including chong kembong, chong biau, chong konak, chong tonggal, chong segak badak, chong krai, chong hudang, chong bakau, and chong ‘mambuk, among others (pp. 25–26).
- Sixteen snake species are identified under the generic term tijau or tijoh, including tijau doh, tijau kempes, tijau tentang, tijau tedong, tijau lengkuk, tijau bulan, tijau blerang, tijau ‘ku anjing, tijau dasun, tijau dian, tijau sawak, tijau moyang, tijau sendokng, tijau sampa’, tijau hiram, and tijau bakau (p. 28).
- The Besisi word for tiger is given as tuêh, a’a’, or manu, and the word for “jungle” is měri, so that “orang utan” is glossed as mah měri (“jungle-man”) (pp. 19, 29).
- Kinship terminology includes ikun (father), gadek or gendek (mother), yê or yêk (elder brother), ga’û (elder sister), gomoh (aunt), nenek (grandfather), and gendoi (grandmother) (pp. 14, 18, 20, 22).
- The vocabulary records the Besisi salutation jaga met (“take care of yourself”) and tabik met (“by your leave”), as well as the greeting mani nimul hinong (“where do you arrive from?”) used between friends (pp. 14, 18).
Conclusion
Skeat’s vocabulary stands as a foundational lexical record of the Besisi language, capturing a snapshot of the dialect’s vocabulary, its heavy reliance on Malay for culturally introduced items, and its rich indigenous terminology for the forest environment. Its ethnographic annotations—on bird omens, seasonal tiger behaviour, and local ecological knowledge—make it a document of considerable value for both historical linguistics and the ethnography of the Peninsular Negrito peoples.
Context
- The author was an Acting District Officer in Ulu Langat, Selangor, a colonial administrative posting that provided direct access to Besisi communities in the jungle interior (p. 13).
- The vocabulary is a continuation of an earlier section (marked “A.—Continued”), indicating that the full work was published in parts, likely across consecutive issues of the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.