I48 ALPHABETICAL SYSTEM OF THE 



not peculiar to the language we are treating of, but 

 that the Chinefe is formed upon the fame principle; 

 and probably fome of the African dialects, if the ana- 

 logy obfervable in the mode in which fome natives of 

 that quarter of the globe pronounce exotick words, 

 and that of the Mnr&mas, be fufficient ground for the 

 fuggeftion. Whether the language of tfibet be not 

 alfo, a member of the Society may be pofTibly able to 

 determine. A native of Aracan, of naturally ftrong 

 parts, and acute apprehenfion, with whom more than 

 common pains have been taken for many months part, 

 to correct this defect, can fcarcely now, with the mod 

 determined caution, articulate a word or fyllable in 

 Hindujiani that has a conjonant for a final, which fre- 

 quently occafions very unpleafant, and fometimes ri- 

 diculous equivocations; and fuch is the force of habit 

 even to making the moft fimple and eafy things diffi- 

 cult, that as obvious as the firft elementary found ap- 

 pears to our comfjrehenfion, in an attempt that was 

 made to teach him the NLgari character, of which it 

 is the inherent vowel, a number of days elapfed before 

 he could be brought to pronounce it, or even to form 

 any idea of it, and then but a very imperfect one. 



The Plate, as has been already obferved, (hews the 

 alphabetical arrangement adopted by the natives. It 

 will be more convenient, however, in treating of the 

 three feries of vowels and nafal marks, to throw them 

 into claffes; not only for the fake of perfpicuity, but 

 r o avoid the irkfome talk of endlefs repetition. 



V — 



a i a 3 a, cc, 



Our extended found in all, and its contracted one in 

 fond, are the bafis of thefe four vowels. The firlt is 

 pronounced with an accent peculiarly acute, by an in- 

 flection pretty far back of the tongue towards the pa- 

 late, 



