Imatges de pàgina
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1. are indeclinable particles, which are put in a sentence for the purpose of forming the roots (into words) or otherwise; e. g. qórð (nw33) Goorooloo-adorable; esc (3) Sanda-adorable; 6 (~) Rathesee-adorable;

having-gone. 18.

cs (Immutable i. e. established usage) is that form of a word, which, after it has once undergone a change according to a rule of Grammar, assumes an unchangeable form; as çó, Krishne, derived from garland, and co belly,

never assumes දමෝදර.

19. is the reverse of the last definition. †

20. අවිදුමන් comprise all the other accidents of Grammar, which are not herein specially named or explained; viz. All words which do not undergo a change in order to adapt them to different cases; also such words as the following, සුද අත් (derived from සුද්ධාන්ත) the immer royal household ; පඬුඇඹුල් (from පාංඩුකම්බල) the seat of Indra; and words which are not formed by a fixed rule; and likewise adverbs and affixes which do not admit of declension, &c.

Note that the formation of all words is in conformity to the above rules.

* The

End of the twenty Elements of Grammar. ‡

of Krishne gives us

c3, a dictionary of synonymes in enumerating the names 3, which is clearly incorrect, since such a spelling is inconsistent with the above rule; and since also the නිගඬුව, of which the නාමාවලිය is a poetical version, has දමෝරා.

†e. g. E

sometimes assumes

compound form; also

though derived from

day and gốc splendour දින ඉසුරු sun, and therefore is not immutable in its the great rampart, from and Co,

is sometimes written මහඋර.

We may be permitted to state here, since no native work treats of Punctuation-that, as in legal compositions in English, the only "sign" or "mark of reading" which is recognized in the Singhalese language, is the full-stop, marked in the latter thus, vide Appendix A. In poe

try, however, a sign such as, is frequently placed at the end of each couplet. This is merely another form of the Sanscrit sign which is marked thus. An example of the last, borrowed from the Sanscrit, will be found in the Introduction, under the head of Blank Verse.

B

21. Nouns are of five kinds; & Patronymics; & Nouns Attributives; Verbal Derivatives; *

of Aggregation;

and

a.

Appellatives.

Patronymics are words of which we have a particu

lar notion; as god, 6 man,

bullock, &c.

b. Aggregate Nouns are words which indicate a substance that admits of a qualification; as @ pillar, pot, &c.t

c.

as a

d.

Attributives are words which express a quality; black, white, ✈ great, &c. ‡

(same as our former definition) are Verbal Derivatives (or abstract nouns), and which will be more fully

* Verbal derivatives may also be rendered "abstract nouns.”—This part of grammar which in the Sanscrit finds a place under the head of affixes is nearly the same as in that language. Extracts therefore with a slight alteration from Sanscrit writers will throw light upon the text. Mr. Wilson in his valuable grammar at p. 312., says-"Some of the most extensively useful of the Tadhita affixes are connected by an analogous diversity and extent of application. They are mostly employed in forming words which are one or other or sometimes all, of the following 1. Patronymics and terms denoting lineal descent, or community of origin; 2. Names of aggregation; 3. Attributives of a variety of qualities and circumstances: 4. abstract nouns; and 5. Appellatives or names of persons and things. These may therefore be classed under one head, as miscellaneous nouns”.

Dr. Wilkins in his Sanscrit Grammar designates this class, Collective nouns, or nouns expressive of multitudes.

It will be perceived that the Adjective which is here designated the Attributive, finds a place in nearly all Asiatic, as not unfrequently in European Grammars, under the head of substantives. Mr. Harris [Hermes, book 1. ch. 10.] says-" Grammarians have been led into that strange absurdity of ranging Adjectives with Nouns, and separating them from Verbs, though they are homogeneous with respect to Verbs, as both sorts denote attributes: they are heterogeneous with respect to nouns, as never properly denoting substances.” Without, however, encumbering these notes with all the arguments pro and con, bearing upon this interesting subject, we may here refer the reader to Horne Tooke's Diversions of Purley, where at p. 624 &c. after citing Lowth, Scaliger, Wilkins, Wallis, Sanctius, Scioppius and other "considerable and justly respected" writers, the subject is discussed at length with that abilit for which the learned philologer is justly celebrated.

treated of hereafter in the chapter on verbs.

But it is as

well to bear in mind here, that verbal derivatives are of two

kinds,

singing; Ocs

3.

Participial nouns; as dancing;

playing; scorching; 98 es inserting; බොදුන් eating; නැමදුම් worshipping;—and අරුත්කිරිය Verbal Appellatives; as co giver; sleeper. * Appellatives are proper names or appellations Dew'dath,

e.

given to a person or thing: as

Bambe'dath, &c.

The following is an example, illustrative of the five sorts of words above given;

හැලි 3 සිගුවත් 2 දුවන 4 ගොන් 1 දෙව්දත් 5 නම් වී. The white, 3 running 4 bull, having-horns is called Dew'dath 5

Words or nouns may also be divided into two; viz. quo Derivatives, and 461 Primitives or non-derivatives. † are so called, because they are terms derived water, derived from ɔ to drink,

from other words; as

It is here necessary to explain what is meant by participial nouns, and Verbal appellatives. By a Participial noun is meant, a term derived from a neuter crude Verb in the Substantive Voice, which does not indicate any thing beyond the act; as in the English participles which perform the office of Substantives, and are used as such, e. g. beginning; writing, &c. It may be identified with the present participle, which with the definite article the before, and the preposition of after, becomes a Substantive; as, "these are the rules of Grammar by the observing of which you may avoid mistakes." Verbal appellatives, or Substantives formed with terminations attached to the crude verb, are verbal nouns which imply an act, or the quality or attribute constituting the appellation of a substance. Verbal appellatives may therefore be identified with English substantives derived from verbs by the addition of particles implying agency; e. g. "creator” from create; "beginner ” from begin ; “ applicant ” from apply ; “ drunkard” from drink; &c. &c.

+ The reader will perceive that the sentence to which this is a note occurs in the Singhalese Grammar mixed up with the 1st sentence at paragraph 21; and that the translator has taken the liberty of rendering it separately after the Examples of the five species of words above given.

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to the authority of Teachers, and with reference to the rules respecting අදෙස්, අඟම්, පියවී.

a. Examples shewing the substitution of for . es clean may be changed into හුදු; විසඳා spread or explain into විහිදා; Bę result or salvation into &ę; ę righteous or good person or pundit into හුදී; සැමද sreeping into හැමද; සැඳින known into හැඳින; සොබ් well or befitting into හොබ්; සොබ good into හොබ; සිඹ having kissed into හිඹ; පිරිසිඹු fatigue into පිරිහිඹු; සුනමින් hearing into හුනමින්; ලඝුහූ garie into ළුහුනූ; පසන stome into පහන; සල් tree into හල්; සුල් sharp instrument into හුල්; සැල් a kind of paddy into හෑල්; මුසල් (rice ) pounder into මොහොල්; සුසුල් mother-in-law into සුහුල්; සිඹුල් cotton into හිඹුල්; සැදහිලි faith into හැද

* In the Singhalese, as in many primitive languages, names of objects are frequently descriptive. Thus, belief that the tortoise drinks or ඇස්දහර literally eye stream

stars" is one of the ing from a sheath

for owl; &c. &c.

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66

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literally means, a side-drinker, from a sucks water through its side. Also signifies tears; &6ę literally “ king of many names for the moon; මිනිමුතු literally “ openmeans flower; literally "big-face" is a term in

Thus also in the Sanscrito, equivalent to S

means

the Singhalese, literally "honey drinker,"
a bird, literally “ frequenter of the sky;" ∞

66

a bee; ∞ in Sanscrit, an elephant, literally “the

handy one;"COEIDI leech, literally "water inhabitant;" &c. &c. Vide

Townsend's Etymological researches.

+ If these words were derivatives,

a bird inhabiting the rocks, which is cannot have been derived from

would indicate the name of not the case; and oca ant oil and to drink; because

"oil" is supposed to be poisonous to the "ant," nor මගුල්

Mars be derived from

pitious planet in astronomy.

can

bliss, because Mars stands for an unpro

Vides. 10, 11, and 6 respectively.

හිලි; සැලි water course intoහැලි: සකර sugar into හකර; සිඟුරු ginger into හිඟුරු; සුරු hog into හුරු; සු thread into ; සේ shadow into හේ; සෝ stream or current into

හෝ; සිම් limit into හිමි; ස:මි lord into හැමි; සික්මුන් conforming or habituating (one's-self) into asi; wid all into හැම; සව් all into හව්: සාවා hare into වා; සිවත් that-olich-is-stitched into හිවන්; සිතූ thought into හිතූ; සුළු small into හුළු; සඟුළු union into හඟුළු; සිටී rar into හිටි; විසට the act of shooting, or direction into වුහුට; සටහන් mark or memorandum into හටගන්; පස‍ේ contentment into පහන්; සසුන් doctrine, or epistle, into හසුන්; සින් sitting into හින්; සන් cover into හන්; සිස්නා sprinkle into හිස්නා; සිස් head into හිස්; සස් grain into ගස්; සිකු dry into හිකු; සැකි able into හැකි; සැති cluster into හැති; සිඟු thin or quich into හිඟු; සඟු horn into හඟු; &c.

b. Examples shewing the interpolation of by the Rule respecting අඟම්. සිදුහත් for සිදු අත් Siddharte (a name); ඇස් quo for quo eye-stream (literally), or tears, a for සෑදං faith; සදහම් for සදම් holy writ; රජදහන් for රජදන් royal abode; * for a meditation; for g power of proceeding in the air; සටහන් for සටන් marh; මැදහත් for මැදත් middle; අදහස් for අදස් intention; බහුස්මfor බස්ම ashes. C. Examples shewing the existence of the sound

in roots.

o dexterous, or boat, ne blunt, & shun, ∞ blowing, conception, sound, fallen, 88 high, &c. Note that the following are instances wherein the vowels are neither substituted for, nor are derived from, the letter හ; අඳුන් collyrum, ඈද drawing, එරනු stuck, අරුනු partial redness, ascended, light; & new, a to-day, humour, moisture; goat, & tile, or grain head, white, & ashes, q183 stringing,

ge straight, (of rice),

This word which is here rendered royal abode is interpreted by some "royal colonies; " but we believe the last is incorrect; since the Sanscrit word from which the above is derived also means royal abode; vide Colebrooke's works vol. II. p. 249.

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