l8 ON THE ORTHOGRAPHY 



In Bengal, where the ra is often funk in the pronun- 

 ciation of compound fyllables, this letter expreffes both 

 fyllables of our word lily : but its genuine found, I 

 believe, is Iri, a fliort triphthong, peculiar to the San- 

 Jcrit language. 



Whatever be the true pronunciation of the former 

 fymbol, this is only an elongation of it, and may, there- 

 fore, be diftinguifhed by the metrical fign of a long 

 vowel. 



Our fecond long vowel, beft reprefented, like the 

 others, by an accent, as in Veda, the facred book of 

 the Hindus, which is a derivative from the Sanfcrit root 

 vid, to know. The notation which I recommend will 

 have this important advantage, that learned foreigners 

 in Europe, will in general pronounce the oriental words 

 expreffed by it, with as much corre&nefs and facility as 

 our own nation. 



This is a diphthong, compofed of our firjl and third 

 vowels, and expreffible, therefore, by them, as in the 

 word Vaidya, derived from Veda, and meaning a man 

 oj the medical cajt in Bengal. It is pronounced as the 

 Greek diphtl.ojg in poimen^ a Jliepherd, was probably 

 l founded 



