The " Tiraehri " Articles Upon Indian Languages. 101 



This might be done by placing the diaeresis over a, thus, a and over 

 u, thus : u. 



We should, then, have the twelve vowels — six long and six short — 

 as follows : 

 Long : 



a (ah), e (aye), i (ee), a (awe), o (oh), u (oo). 

 Short : 



a (at), e (pet), \ (it), 6 (on), ft (but), i\ (put). 



For Makuchi we should need yet another pure vowel sign, and it is 

 a matter of indifference as to whether Father Cary-Elwes's e with circum- 

 flex (e) or my u with a circumflex (u) be adopted. His is the result of a 

 French bias : Mine is the result of an English bias. 



The rough and ready method of the Royal Geographical Society 

 (claimed to be necessitated by the requirements of cartography) fail 

 utterly, when one has to write such words as Makuchi. 



According to the Society's pronunciation of a (identical with the 

 French pronunciation) the name would be pronounced Mah-Kuchi. But 

 that would be incorrect, for the vowel is short. Were the unscientific 

 device adopted of doubling the consonant following (which is k) we should 

 write the word Makkuchi. But this device is hopeless when it is 

 realized that it then becomes impossible to know when two similar con- 

 sonants coming together are to be sounded separately without shortening 

 the preceding vowel — as in Hindustani words. 



Also, there is no means of shewing that a Anal vowel shall be short 

 and not long, as in the common word, in Makuchi, for "our" ana. 



Further, a script, to be scientific, must meet the needs of Eastern as 

 well as those of Europe and the West. Had I adopted Father Cary-Elwes's 

 method (that of the B.G.S.) I could not have committed Mawken to 

 writing in any sensible way. 



Note : I do not claim that my adoption of the English Pronouncing 

 Dictionary's method proves that method is ideal (where, for example, oo re- 

 presents the vowel in boot). I adopted it because its use of diacritical 

 marks (the macron, breve and diaeresis — w ■ ■ ) allowed of distinc- 

 tions between long and short vowels (Father, can) being shewn, and 

 avoided the unscientific and confusing device of doubling a consonant to 

 shorten a vowel. 



There is no need to use the macron if it be agreed that a, e, i. o, u 

 shall be pronounced as long vowels (French) where they do not carry the 

 breve, a, g, I, d, u, to indicate that they are short. 



I must challenge the statement that the English o is really on. It is 

 not ! (Forgive the pun). Does Father Cary-Elwes really mean to main- 

 tain that, in singing, the English, o is slurred so as to finish off as u (oo) ? 



