This article investigates hydrological lexicon in Jahai, a Mon-Khmer language of the Malay
Peninsula. Setting out from an analysis of the structural and semantic properties as well as
the indigenous vs. borrowed origin of lexicon related to drainage, it teases out a set of
distinct lexical systems for reference to and description of hydrological features. These
include (1) indigenous nominal labels subcategorised by metaphor,(2) borrowed nominal
labels,(3) verbals referring to properties and processes of water,(4) a set of motion verbs …