OF A3IAT1CK WORDS. 1$ 



able to the practice of polifhcd nations on the continent 

 of Europe. The very broad found of the Arabian let- 

 ter, which they call extended, and which the Perfians 

 extend yet more, as in the word dfdn, may aptly enough 

 bereprefented by the profodial fign, fince it is constantly 

 long; whereas the mark hamzhah as conftantly Jhortens 

 the letter, and gives it the found of the point above or 

 below it, as in the words dsiiland IJldm. The changes 

 of this letter may perplex the learned, but his perplexity 

 will foon vanifh as he advances. In writing Afiatick 

 names, we frequently confound the broad a with its 

 correfpondent fhort vowel, which we improperly ex- 

 prefs by an O : thus we write Cojjim for Kdfim, in de- 

 fiance of analogy and correclnefs. Our vowel in fond 

 occurs but feldom, if ever, in Arabian, Indian, or 

 Perfian words. It is placed, neverthelefs, in the gene- 

 ral fyftem, with the fhort profodial mark, and ftands at 

 the head of the vowels, becaufe it is, in truth, only a 

 variation of the fimple breathing. 



Our third vowel, correctly pronounced, appears next 

 in the Ndgari fyftem ; for our fecond fhort vowel has no 

 place in it. This vocal found is reprefented in Arabick 

 by an acute accent under the letter, which at Mecca has 

 almoft invariably the fame pronunciation; but fince in 

 the Zend a character like the Greek E-pfdon reprefents 

 both our fecond and third fhort vowels, the Perfians of- 

 ten pronounce zir like zeber, calling this country Hend, 

 and the natives of it Hendiis : neverthelefs, it will be 

 proper to denote the Sanfcrit icdr,and the Arabian cafr, 

 by one unaltered fymbol ,asin the words Indra and Imam, 



The third vowel produced or lengthened, is, for the 

 realon before fuggelted, bed marked by an accent, ei- 

 ther acute or grave 3 as in Italian : 



Sc 



