the Chaldeic; I find that in every case this letter may be beet represented by the Sanskrit w j, and indeed in the early coins of APoLLouovus, &c.its form seems to be copied from the ancient Sanskrit , reversed in confármity with the direction of the writing. The only inflection I have met with of this letter is ju. 1 can make no discrimination between cerebral. and dentals; because the Greek names translated have of course no suck distinctions, but from the vaiiety of symbols to which the force of d and t must be ascribed, 1 incline to think the alphabet is provided with a full comple. ineut, thcngh it is in the first place indeed almost a matter of option which letter to call 4 t, r, or n, they are all so much alike—thus for t we have .9, i, ‘L, and i, and with the vowel., ‘i, s.., f. As the equivalent of d again we have the same i, i, t, and also 1, £, P: and for &i , and , the former evidently l with 1. subjoined; the latter quasi Ui or ddi; sometimes it is nearer * n. I do not attribute this ambiguity to the letters themselves so much as to the carelessness and ignorance of the writers, who might pronounce the foreign name Apoliodotu,, indifferently Apaldtada, Apaiadata, and even Apalanata. Being obliged to make a choice, I assume as in my former paper ;— .9, ‘i, for a, whence 1td, i ii, orrte,andtra , tta, tArn, tk, 3, or , tAe, but in fact these forms are as commonly used for dh, and its inflections. , , urn. 1 do not perceive any indications of the other nasals, and indeed they seem to be omitted when joined to another consonant: but I find some thing corresponding to the anuiwara attached below the vowel a, and before consonants it seems represented by rn, as ‘ mckaY t mm, mhaY II pa. The first of the labials is one of the best established letters. It has been discovered also inflected as I” pi 1k pa; 3’ pu; and united with eitherlior.in’hpkaorapaialsowithliin+,pli,andinother combinations which will be noticed as they are brought forward. I suspect further thatinJi,-l’,wehavep4andin l,pra: but thedata are uncertain. P, Ip, p1w orfa Y I have no stronger reasons then before for continuing this value to (p :—it seems in some few cases to usurp the place of ii; it ii inflected also, as ‘4’fr, j, ffra. . or a, baY is still undetermined; in the doubtful name above quoted AJAFAOT, it seems to be replaced by or ‘h--the aspirate is al. unknown. 4L 2
Page:Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol 7, Part 2.djvu/69
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1838.]
Revision qftIae Bacfrian Alphabet.
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