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as symbol of the vowel which forms the second element, or vanish". But contrary to the analogy of a) above, and contrary also to present usage, whenever the syllable is open, an extra อ must appear as 'supporter.' Thus we have ◌ืเสอง, ◌ืเมอง in 1, but ◌ืเผออ, ◌ืเม่ออ in 3. d) The cases of ◌ืเงอน (เงิน) 15, 29, of ◌ืเสอก, 31, and ◌ีเสก 114 (for ศึก), of ◌ีเถง (ถึง), 116, and of ◌ูจอง (for) จูง 20, may indicate uncertainty as to the spelling, or may point to a different pronunciation of those vowels.
The last word but one in the line is given as ทน in S. P corrects it rightly to บาน (บาล).
There is no doubt that the vigorous native idiom of these opening lines seems shockingly rude to the ordinary Siamese, accustomed to expect in such a document nothing but the artificialities and servilities of courtly speech. I fear that a certain squeamishness of this same nature lingers even among people who ought to know better, and that it may be largely responsible for the general lack of interest and pride the Siamese have hitherto shown in this record and in this man. Especially offensive to such is the uncompromising 1st personal pronoun กู of a time when both prince and subject, without insolence and without slavishness, could use the same "I". This word, with its companion of the second person, มึง is now entirely banished from courteous speech. The third of the group, มัน when used of persons now carries a distinct note of contempt. But the Prince applies it to his distinguished visitors, l. 30, and more surprisingly still, to a temple building, l. 66. In this, as in many other points, the Lao is much nearer the ancient—and in this case the more virile—type. The story of the debasement of the pronouns is too long to be told here; but with regard to one of them see below, l. 26.
2. The first word is plainly ◌ูต. S has it so in his text, but makes it 'phu' in his transliteration and translation. P boldly re-writes it to ◌ูก in his text. The word is a 1st personal pronoun now obsolete or provincial (Lao), and generally plural in sense, with a following appositive. (See Frankfurter: Siamese Grammar, p. 68.)
โสง is the numeral สอง, which form also occurs 95, 115. Similar uncertainty as to this medial vowel is found in other
