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Indian Languages in MrfJi America, 351 



r 



J 



the Carihhee langiicage, and to pronounce which we must place 

 the tongue as far back as possible on the roof of the mouth and 

 articulate I. But to have overchargid the proposed alphabet 

 with a great many niceties of this kind, (if it had been in ray 

 power to represent them all with exactness) would have had a 

 tendency to frustrate the very object I had in view : that is, a 



practical system of 



aj?r) 



gnate all 



mation is all that we can expect, and perhaps all that is at present 

 necessary in our inquiries. If the alphabet here given shall prove 

 to be sufficiently well adapted to the purpose of denotiug what 



may be called fundamental sounds of the principal Indian lan- 

 guages, it will not be difficult hereafter, gradually to make pro- 

 vision for such signs as experience may suggest, in order to de- 



)ns of speech, which the nicest 

 ear shall be able to discover in the different dialects. But new 

 signs should be introduced with the greatest caution, lest we 

 should have an alphabet, which will be too cumbrous for use in 

 writing, and will require a multitude of new types for printing, 

 these languages. The great danger will be (as Mr. Du Ponceau 

 has observed to me) that every man, however little qualified, 

 << will think himself adequate to the task of inventing new char- 

 acters, and will delight to display himself in that way. These 

 displays arc used in order to conceal the want of ideas and re- 

 sources." As in the use of our own language, it is much easier 

 for every tasteless writer to invent new words according to his 

 own caprice, in order to serve his immediate purposes, than 

 patiently and carefully to select from our present abundant stock 

 those appropriate terms, which have the sanction of the best 



b' 



Iphabet for the Indian 1 



will be found a much shorter method, to devise new and g 



47 



