CHAPTER V THE CHEF PARTS OF SPEECH (A) THE NOUN § 28. If the gender of person or animal' needs to be defined, then the substantive is qualified by the words laki-laki male and pěrěmpuan female in the case of persons, and jantan male and bětina female in the case of animals (or coarsely of persons): Lanak anak laki-laki a boy; budak perempuan girl; ayam jantan cock; ayam bětina hen; patek měnampun²-lah běristĕrikan orang bětina; patek hěndak mènchari orang perempuan I beg to be excused from wedding a mere female; I cant to search for a true woman. $29. The substantive whether simple or derivative stands without inflexion for singular and plural, as has been said above. Marsden, indeed, opined that 'the noun in its simple state, without any accompanying term to limit or extend its signification, is more properly to be considered as plural than singular or that in order to the determining its number, the application of a term expressing singularity 2 1 The absurdity of attributing difference of sex to things or to the names of things not organized by nature to reproduce their kind,' Marsden remarks, ‘did not suggest itself to the framers of the Malay language '- despite their animism. But there are a very few exceptions: bah jantan the malc flood which is greater than bah bětina the female flood; busut jantan ant-hill; kokot jantan, kokot bětina the parts of a pintle- udder. ° menampun = minta ampun (Perak).
