RAS-1974

140

K. M. A. BARNETT

romanization used by the School of Oriental and African Studies, London (S.S.),

1 current among boat-people only 2 current among hill-people only 3 no longer current, but meaning given by inhabitants 4 obsolete, but meaning supplied from Man147 glossaries 5 meaning guessed from locality 6 meaning still obscure

O.S.

S.S.

1 a 亞Y * qaas qhaah 2 au By u qaau 3 chai 寨 zraai

Meaning or Remarks

In spite of the variety of characters, the meaning is still given as 'double' and this fits all cases where it occurs: usually of a twin peak, or an island with a low wasp waist and a knob at each end, like Cheung Chau. A pass or saddle: differs from keng (19) in that au need not have a path over it. The two occur in combination. See (14), (59).

Owing to the Hakka pronunciation, au is in many names confused with kau (14) and o (59).

The meaning of fort or stockade is well-known, but in places where the memory of old fortifications is forgotten the word is often substituted by tsai (100), whose pronunciation in one of the Hakka dialects is similar, or by tez (103). Even where the original spelling and pronunciation are preserved,