Sanscrit Writing and Language. 85 



their system in the same way as Europeans combine syllables out of more simple 

 ingredients. At the bottom of this hypothesis lies the very identical fallacy which 

 has been exposed in the preceding instance, namely, the assumption that the 

 Africans in question had a distinct conception of both the ingredients of syllabic 

 sounds ; whereas it has been proved that they had only one of those ingredients 

 clear in their thoughts. The hypothesis may still further be shown to be erro- 

 neous from the manner in which the Abyssinians recited their alphabet. I do 

 not here speak of their present practice (with which, I confess, I am not 

 acquainted), but of that which prevailed among them at the time when parts of 

 the Ethiopic version were printed under the superintendence of individuals 

 belonging to their nation. The seven columns of their alphabetic table they 

 called by names which had no relation whatever to the vowel sounds in those 

 columns, viz. — 1. Gheez. — 2. Chaab. — 3. Sals. — 4. Erab. — 5. Hams. — 6. Sads. 

 — 7- Sab. And their mode of recitation was as follows. Let us, for instance, take 

 the series of syllabic powers classed under the letter Bet. They first called out 

 Bet Gheez, and then pronounced the syllable Ba ; next, Bet Chaab, after which 

 they pronounced Bu ; next. Bet Sals, after which, B« ; and so on. As much as 

 to say, that Bet, as written in the column Gheez, sounds Ba; as written in the 

 column Chaab, sounds Bw; and so on. Here evidently is no indication of the 

 Ethiopian having had any perception of the compound nature of the powers 

 recited by him. The fact is, he no more looked on such powers as complex than 

 the Japanese now does, who, although he has vowels, as well as what are more 

 properly called syllables, denoted by letters of his system, yet considers the latter 

 species of sounds to be as perfectly simple and undecomposable as the former. 

 On the contrary, the European is taught signs for the separate ingredients of arti- 

 culate sounds before he is made to bring them together for the expression of those 

 sounds ; which circumstance of itself must draw his attention to the fact of there 

 being some composition in syllabic powers ; and when, through this observation, 

 and the practice of repeating b a, ha ; b e, be ; b i, bi, &c., he has arrived at 

 the distinct perception of what is denoted by consonants, he dismisses from his 

 thoughts the cumbrous machinery by which he acquired this knowledge. He 

 must indeed commit to memory the combinations of letters representing words 

 which are peculiarly spelled ; but he retains as the elements of his orthography, 

 not the hundred, or more, simple syllables, ba, be, bi, &c. &c., but merely the 



