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Grammar and Vocabulary of the Cashmiri Language, By M. P. 

 Edgeworth, Esq. Bengal Civil Service. 



When stationed at Lodihana in 1839, I was induced to attempt to 

 learn the Cashmiri language, in consequence of the large Cashmiri popu- 

 lation at that place, many of whom understand no other language, and 

 the necessity of an interpreter in a Police office, I felt to be exceedingly 

 objectionable. With the assistance of Meer Saifuddin, a respectable Syud 

 of Cashmiri birth, I drew up some rudiments of the Grammar. Although 

 these are necessarily very imperfect, and no doubt require numerous 

 corrections, which I should have been able to give, had I been able to 

 prosecute the study further, yet they will be interesting, as throwing 

 some light on what appears to me a very intricate and peculiar dialect. 



Alphabet and Orthography. 



The Cashmiri language being a derivation of the great Sanscrit stock 

 it has an alphabet of the Nagari form. This is only understood by the 

 Hindoos. The translation of the New Testament published at Seram- 

 poor is in this character, and I was able to ascertain the force of most 

 of the signs used in it ; but as they do not complete the Alphabet, and 

 I had no means of ascertaining their correctness from any Hindoo Cash- 

 miri, I refrain from giving it. 



The cerebralt. and the aspirates of the Nagari are all used, and an 

 additional letter a and its aspirate ts. and ts,h, exactly the German z with 

 or without an aspirate; this is represented in the Persian alphabet by •*• — 

 As numerous Arabic and Persian words have been introduced, the whole 

 of that alphabet has been incorporated with that portion, equivalent to 

 the Nagari, as in Hiridostani. 



The great peculiarity of the language consists in possessing three 

 very short vowels, which my instructor denominated the nim fathe, nim 

 kasra and nim zamma, and possessing respectively the forces of a very 

 short a, i, u. It is impossible to give a description in writing of these 

 very peculiar half- vowels. To represent them, I have used the above 

 vowels with a dot, a, 'i, li. 



There is likewise a short o, *' samma majhul,'' and its corresponding 

 half-vowel. 



