be less desirable than o, which sui generis is a mute. And for these views we have the authority of pandits.'

Note 5.-page 3.

The grammarian has, it will be perceived, omitted to give us an example from poetry, shewing the imperfect sound of o; perhaps, because the learner can easily find out one for himself. It may, however, not be amiss to give a couplet here from the Kaviasekare, in order more fully to illustrate the text:

සුරඟඟතරඟ රඟ

අමා වැසිව සිනා රඟ

"Like the waves of the Ganges,

And the falling-rain like ambrosial food;"

Note 6.-page 7.

CHANGES OF VOWELS.

Nothing presents a more formidable task to the student upon his entrance on the study of the Singhalese, than the ascertainment of the roots of words, owing to what is called "the changes of vowels." The Singhalese in this respect presents a peculiarity distinguishable from the Sanscritwhich only possesses what is known as Vriddi and Guna modifications of vowels, upon certain and fixed rules.

The examples given at p. 7, § 14 a, shew that this change is not confined in the Singhalese to any particular letters, as it is not restricted to any vowels in the Sanscrit. It may be stated, however, that when several vowels in one word are changed, they are frequently found converted to the next in order as found in the alphabet. Thus, for instance, (see p. xxxii.) the word (g) () which is derived from Be, contains two vowel sounds, and q. Now in changing into e, the vowel next but one to g, it is necessary

the

U

8

to change the into e, which is the next but one to . We thus obtain () () otherwise written e. Sometimes also, the change is entirely for the sake of euphony; in which case euphonious sounds are preferred without an adherence to rule or order. Thus, for instance, ee and ආල are changed into සල්ලාල, and the same into සලෙළු ' libertine ; ' හාමි and දරුවෝ are changed into හාමුදුරු 3, see its definition infra.

Note to § 14 e at p. 8.

By an oversight of the translator, a short passage in the text has been left untranslated. We therefore give § 14 e

de novo.

e.

*

6 is the changing of (the mood or tense of) the verb; as blind to his own fault,' [literally, 'His own faults will not be seen.']†ço méŭ téarm supreme peacock! take thy lodg

ing in the flowered tree at that season.'‡

Note 7.-page 8.

5

At page 8 we have taken the liberty of rendering an expression contrary to the meaning of the writer of the Grammar. We have done so, because we were able to shew that the grammarian was in error. He says that an inflected letter such as qt, is or long in quantity (see §§ 15. 62. and notes.) If in this respect the grammarian stood alone as an authority, we should perhaps have been disposed to believe that this was a cle: ical error; but when we find that the author of the Elu Prosody also lays down, 'that 42 is prosodially more than one syllabic instant,' there

This is an example selected from the Kawsilumina.

Here the verb is put in the future instead of the present tense, in which it is usually put to express an abstract idea.

See note (f) at p. 8.

ean be no room left for such a belief.

If therefore we re

gard as being equal to more than one syllabic instant, would, as a matter of course, be more than Two syllabic instants, which it is not. Thus in the following (see Appendix A, p. 62.)

අඔතල ඇවගවන සිටි පලි වෙලි නා =18

යොදාන කුල් මියු මහවත්; ගසපු

H

32= -18

does

-which are the two first lines of a stanza constructed upon the uniform metre of 18 syllabic instants to a linenot stand for more than two instants. Nor, except in theory, do we any where find that is more than one syllabic instant. If again, qu is to be considered longer than, will for the same reason be longer than ∞,

which it is not.

For the purpose of proving the inaccuracy of the grammarian's doctrine, we shall assign to , which is here left in doubt and uncertainty, a definite quantity. Let us suppose that the expression " more than one syllabic instant" means 1 syllabic instants. How then does the case stand? Take for instance the following stanza; and we cannot select a better specimen :

අට ලො ද මා පමිනෙන්නේ ඇතසත = 17 නැත පුදුමා වි තෙ නේසැපතැනව= 17 විදුලිසෙ මා අත නුන්නේග්ලැබ දැනට 17 මුදලිතු මාලතවෙන්නේ තව කුම ට= 17 This is a stanza constructed upon the uniform metre of 17 syllabic instants to a line: and if we assign 1 instants to qu in the 1st line, we shall give it 174 syllabic instants, and thus render the same unequal to the rest of the stanza, which is not the case. Hence it is clear that is prosodially one syllabic instant and no more.

This view appears to be fully confirmed by a reference to the quantity of consonants when they are inflected with the letter qu. Thus in the second line of the above stanza,

නැ ත පු දු මා විපතෙන්නේ සැපතැන ම

The letters, and, are inflected with, and are prosodially just equal to, the vowel qu. If it were otherwise, we should be giving at the rate of 14 syllabic instants to each of the above letters, 17 syllabic instants to the whole linc. It is apprehended that the grammarian has fallen into this error, by not giving and q as two separate independent vowels, respectively short and long, in the Singhalese language. That they should be so treated appears clearly from the circumstance, that if there were not these independent vowel sounds, we should be at a loss to say how aɩ ar, on oor, &c. &c., are inflected, vide Introduction. Hence, treating these as independent vowels, we have no difficulty in assigning them a quantity common with the

rest of the vowels.

There are in the Singhalese other letters, which the writer of the "Elu Prosody" states, are more than one instant in quantity. They are consonants which have o, L, &, or I, inflected with another consonant that is not deprived of its inherent vowel sound; as 'horn;' vide Introduction, p. lxi. Here the writer seems to have arrived at this conclusion upon reasoning like the following. If with its inherent vowel sound is equal to one instant, when it is inflected with another consonant (e. g. c.); must be 1 syllabic instants.' This could only be pronounced correct reasoning, if the increase in quantity, were dependent upon the number of letters with which compound letters are formed. But this is not the criterion for the ascertainment of quantity. The rule is (see § 62.) 'that a letter which may be uttered in the twinkling of an eye, or in an instant, is of one syllabic instant.' Thus, ∞, a sonant letter, is prosodially one syllabic instant in quantity; but d, which is a mute letter, deprived of its inherent vowel sound, is less than one instant; because it can be uttered in shorter time than o. Now by combining a different character with this self-same letter,

we change the sound, but do not thereby render it long. A reference to poets, who are all agreed in this respect, will clearly establish the soundness of our views. Thus, in the Kaviasekare the following stanza, (composed under the rule at p. xciii. by which the first line is of 9 instants, the 2nd 11, the third 9, and the fourth 14), has six e.'s; and if each be more than one instant, the poetry must be inaccurate and discordant, which it is not.

Pronouns, which are regarded in the Singhalese as nouns, may be divided into the same classes as in English, and bear a great resemblance to those in the Sanscrit family of languages.

PERSONALS.

First person. There is but one pronoun, 'I,' for the first person. See its declension in Addenda, p. 99. It is devoid of gender. Its influence over verbs in the formation of the personal terminations, is well known. Both in the singular, and in the plural, and in its several moods and tenses, the verb takes with different modifications; see conjugation infra. And in its primary signification, seems to be the distinguishing of the person speaking. Hence after became the recognized pronoun

The Revd. Mr. Callaway in his valuable "Hints" prefixed to his Dictionary, says, The pronouns in declining, undergo some slight variations: The second in is dropped beiore the terminations." p. 34. This is a mistake. is the pronominal root of ; and the second in the Nominative is an addition to the root, so that in the other cases no is dropped, but the simple root is inflected by case-affixes.