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Chapter 10-11

Language and Savages

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The country’s language consists of sounds that are its own, and despite being nearby, neither the Chams nor the Siamese can make themselves understood.

The words for numbers are:

  1. mei
  2. bie
  3. bei
  4. ban
  5. bolan
  6. bolanmei
  7. bolanbie
  8. bolanbei
  9. bolanban
  10. ten da

Fathers and paternal uncles are called batou.

Mothers are called mi, and so are paternal and maternal aunts and the wives of fathers’ younger brothers, and even older women in the neighborhood.

Elder brothers are called bang, and so are elder sisters. Younger brothers are called buwen and maternal uncles are called chilai, as are the husbands of paternal and maternal aunts.^46

In general many of the words that come afterwards, they put in front.

For example, we may say that man is Zhang San’s younger brother.

They say he is “buwen Zhang San.” We say that this man is Li Si’s maternal uncle; they say he is “chilai Li Si.”^47

China is called Beishi, an official is called bading, a scholar is called banjie.^48

But a Chinese official isn’t called Beishi bading; rather, he is called bading Beishi.

And a Chinese scholar isn’t called Beishi banjie; rather, he is called banjie Beishi. On the whole, it is all like that.

This is just a brief general outline. When it comes to specifics, officialdom has its official debates and deliberations, scholars have their scholarly literary conversations, and the Buddhists and Daoists have their own languages of Buddhism and Daoism.

The towns and villages all have their own particular ways of speaking—but then again, that is no different from China.

11 SAVAGES

There are 2 kinds of savage.

  1. Those who know how to deal with people and talk to them

These are sold into the towns as slaves.

  1. Those who are uneducated and cannot communicate in words.

This second kind:

  • have no homes to live in
  • move from place to place in the mountains, taking their family with them and carrying a clay pot on their head as they walk.

When they come across a wild animal they shoot it with a bow and arrow, then take it, make a fire by striking stones, roast it, and eat it together before setting off again.

By nature they are very ferocious. Their herbal concoctions are highly poisonous.

Within their own groups they frequently kill one another.^49

RESIDENCES

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