1837.] Comparison of Indo-Chinese Languages. 1023 



they are connected. From the variety of cases, it will readily be inferred 

 that the use of prepositions, or particles having the force of prepositions, 

 is seldom required. When such particles are used, they must invariably 

 follow the nouns which they govern. The genitive case always precedes 

 the noun by which it is governed. 



II. — Siamese, Khamti, and other branches of the Tai. We have seen 

 that the Bangali and Asamese, in their grammatical forms, bear a close 

 resemblance to the family of European languages. We come now to a 

 class of monosyllabic languages evidently belonging to the Chinese stock. 

 In these languages the nouns and verbs uniformly consist (except where 

 foreign terms have been introduced), of monosyllabic roots, which undergo 

 no change on account of case, mood or tense. These accidents are express- 

 ed by means of particles, generally following, but in some cases preceding, 

 the nouns or verbs which they modify. A striking peculiarity, which, so 

 far as we have had opportunity to examine, extends to all monosyllabic lan- 

 guages, is the variety of intonations, by which sounds organically the same 

 are made to express entirely different meanings. The first division of 

 tones is into the rising and falling, according as the voice slides up or 

 down during the enunciation of a syllable. This variety of tone is employ- 

 ed, in English, mostly for the purposes of emphasis and euphony • but in Tai, 

 Chinese, Barmese, &c. such a variation of tone produces different words, 

 and expresses totally different ideas. Thus in Tai, ma signifies a dog, 

 ma (the stroke under the m denoting the falling tone) signifies to come. 

 In Barmese, le is air but le' is a bow ; myen is the verb to see, while myen 

 denotes a horse. 



Another distinction of tone ; which obtains nearly or quite universally, 

 in monosyllabic languages, is the abrupt termination, or a sudden cessation 

 of voice at the end of a syllable. This is denoted by a dot under the final 

 letter. Like the other variations of tone, it entirely changes the meaning 

 of the words to which it is applied. Thus, taking for illustration the 

 syllables above mentioned, ma, in Tai, signifies a horse; in Barmese, le sig- 

 nifies to be acquainted with ; myen, high. 



These two varieties of intonation are the most extensive and important ; 

 but several languages of the Chinese family make still more minute dis- 

 tinctions. The Chinese language itself is said to distinguish eight different 

 tones ; the Tai possesses five or six ; the Karen an equal number ; the 

 Barmese only three, viz. the rising, falling, and abrupt. 



The Siamese, Laos, Shydn, Khamti and Ahom, are all merely dialects of 

 the same original language, which is called Tai ; and prevails through a 

 wide tract of country, extending from Siam to the valley of the Brahmapu- 

 tra. I have inserted in the table specimens of the Khamti and Siamese, 

 spoken at the two extremities, between which the difference will naturally 

 be greater than between the dialects spoken at any of the intermediate 

 stations. Yet we find that upwards of nine-tenths of the fundamental 

 words in these two dialects are the same, with but slight variations in the 

 pronunciation. These variations are mostly confined to a few letters, viz. 



