Spada
This short note by W. George Mexwell proposes an etymology for the word “spada,” the common call for a servant in the Dutch East Indies, arguing that it derives from the Malay phrase “siapa ada” (is anyone there?), which was itself a translation of the Bengali call “koi hai” introduced by East India Company servants who had previously served in Calcutta (p. 97).
Mexwell notes that “siapa ada” is not idiomatic Malay and that its open vowel sounds likely contributed to its contraction into “spada.” He observes two curious facts: that in India the caller is known by the words of the call (“Qui-hai”) while in the Netherlands Indies it is the person called who is known by them (“spada”), and that the term survives only in a country no longer under British rule rather than in the Straits Settlements (pp. 97–98).