A Manual of the Malay language With an Introductory Sketch of the Sanskrit Element in Malay

"A Manual of the Malay Language" by Sir William Edward Maxwell is a late 19th-century guidebook to the Malay language, designed for beginners, that acts as both a simple grammar lesson and a collection of words, with a special focus on the versions of Malay used in what were then British colonies around the Straits of Malacca. The author draws on his 16 years of experience in the region to show how the language changes from place to place, explaining that words can have very different meanings depending on where you are. It also looks at how other languages, like Sanskrit and Arabic, have shaped and changed Malay over time, intending to provide newcomers essential rules and vocabulary.