[An-lang] Etymology of Malagasy "valiha"

[Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies]

Hi all,

Rakotomala (1998:786) writes that the term 'valiha' is from Sanskrit
'vadhya' 'ionstrument of sacred music'. "It originated in Indonesia in the
pre-Islamic period (1100s to 1500s), from which more than five hundred
words of Sanskritic origin remain in the Malagasy language." What do you
think?

Reference:
Rakotomala, Mireille
	1998	"Performance in Madagascar". In Africa, ed. Ruth M. Stone,
pp. 781-92. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, 1. New York: Garland
Publishing, Inc.

Regards,
Don

Don Niles
Head & Senior Ethnomusicologist
Music Department
Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies
P.O. Box 1432
Boroko 111
PAPUA NEW GUINEA

tel.:	[675] 325-4644
fax:	[675] 325-0531
email:	ipngs at global.net.pg

At 22:35 -0700 16/6/04, Edmundo Cruz Luna wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>I've just received a question from some of my friends regarding the
>(possible) etymology of the Malagasy "valiha" (a bamboo tube zither). Some
>people had proposed a link between this word and the island of Bali, but I
>was highly skeptical about that. Would anyone have a possible source for
>this particular term?
>
>Thanks,
>
>- Ed
>
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