222 ONT THE LANGUAGES AXD LITERATURE 



VII. Rukhe'ng. — The Rukheng is the first of that 

 singular class of Indo-Chinese languages, which may 

 be properly termed monosyllahic, from the mass of 

 their radical words consisting of monosyllables, like 

 the spoken dialects of China. These monosyllables 

 are subjected to great variety of accent and intona- 

 tion, in almost every instance : and require an accu- 

 racy of pronunciation and a delicacy of ear in speak- 

 ing and comprehending them, far beyond what is 

 requisite in the languages of Europe, or even in the 

 polysyllabic languages of Jsia. The Indo-Chinese 

 languages of the monosyllabic class, borrow a con- 

 siderable variety of terms from the Pali or Bali, 

 which exists among them, as the language of learning 

 and science ; but in adopting these polysyllables, 

 they accommodate tl:iem to their peculiar enunciation, 

 by pronouncing every syllable as a distinct word. 

 The Rukheng is the language of the original inha- 

 bitants of Arakan, who adhere to the tenets of 

 Budd'ha. Forming in ancient times a part of the 

 empire of Magadha, from which they seem to have 

 derived the name of Mug or Mauga, by which they 

 are generally termed by the inhabitants of Bengal ; 

 and being from their situation more immediately 

 connected with India ; their language is by no means 

 purely monosyllabic, but forms, as it were, the con- 

 necting link between the polysyllabic and mono-r 

 syllabic languages. The Rukheng race is admitted to 

 be of the same radical stock as the Barmas or Bir- 

 mans, and is understood to have greatly preceded 

 that nation in civilization. The Barmas, indeed, 

 derive their own origin from the Rukheng, whom they 

 generally denominate Barmd kyi, or the great Bar- 

 mas, and they consider the Rukheng as the most 

 ancient and original dialect of the Burma language. 

 This idea is certainly correct, and it may be added, 



