1838.1 Comparison of Asiatic Languages. 707 



V. — Comparison of Asiatic Languages, 



We are indebted to the Editors of the Calcutta Christian Observer 

 for the following columns of Chinese and Japanese words corresponding 

 to those contained in the tabular view of the comparison of Eastern 

 languages in our No. for December last, and present it w r ith satisfaction 

 to our readers. 



There were two other columns in Mr. W.'s communication, contain- 

 ing the sixty words in the several characters ; viz. the Katakana and 

 Hirakana, which the want of type for their exhibition has obliged us to 

 exclude. We are however through Mr. Csoma's kindness enabled to 

 insert the column of Tibetan equivalents. 



To the Editors of the Calcutta Christian Observer. 

 Dear Sirs, 



Having been favoured with the perusal of the number of the J. A. S. for 

 December 1837, I have looked over the article on a comparison of various 

 Asiatic Languages with much interest. The plan if carried out, will be 

 likely to afford data from which important and interesting inferences can 

 be legitimately drawn. 



In the column for Japanese, however, I think you will be a little misled 

 by your authority not attending very strictly to the rules of pronuncia- 

 tion and spelling which you have laid down, and I have ventured to send a 

 column of the words, in order that a comparison may be made from the 

 true sounds of the Japanese, accompanied by two modes of writing most in 

 use. The vowel sounds to the letters of their alphabet are quite uniform ; 

 but by elision for the sake of euphony, the number of vowel sounds is 

 greatly increased. I should think that few Asiatic languages could be 

 more perfectly reduced to the Romanizing system than the Japanese, and 

 that there were few people in Asia who would be less inclined to adopt 

 that system than that people. 



When Mr. G. says, " that the Chinese character is universally read 

 among the natives with a different sound and accent, more full and 

 euphonical," he perhaps wishes to express that the Chinese character is 

 used among the Japanese to a considerable extent, but that the people do 

 so universally there are not sufficient grounds for believing. There are 

 in the alphabet, 73 distinct sounds, 25 of which are made by diacritical 

 marks upon some of the 48 letters. In the Hirakana, there are several 

 ways of writing the same character or letter, making consequently, their 

 number much greater, perhaps above a hundred. In the I'mattokana (not 

 Imatskana) the contractions are carried to a greater extent, making it 

 one of the most difficult writings in existence to read freely. 



