1028 Comparison of Indo-Chinese Languages. [Dec. 



have been a dialect of the Singpho, seven-tenths of their vocables being 

 found in tbat language. 



VIII.— Gdro. For a vocabulary of the language of this singular people 

 we are indebted to Mr. Strong, of Goalpara, who from frequent intercourse 

 "with this tribe, has had opportunity to become well acquainted with then- 

 language and customs. In the specimen given in the table, the orthography 

 of a few words has been slightly altered, so as to conform to the Romaniz- 

 ing system. The language appears to have considerable relation to the 

 Singpho and Jili. It is difficult to decide from the specimens before us, 

 whether it is to be ranked with the monosyllabic or polysyllabic languages. 

 It probably belongs to the latter. The Garos inhabit an extensive range 

 of hills below Gawahati, and are in a completely savage state. So meagre 

 is their language, that they have not even a term for horse, nor do they 

 possess any knowledge of such an animal. 



IX. — Manipuri and neighbouring dialects. The following very interest- 

 ing account of the singular variety of languages spoken in the neighbour- 

 hood of Manipur, is copied from Capt. Gordon's letter to Mr. Trevelyan. 



il I send you specimens of (including the Manipuri) twelve of the nu- 

 merous languages, or perhaps more properly, as respects many of them, 

 dialects spoken within this territory. On examining Pemberton's map, 

 you will perceive that, beginning in the west with the Songpu, (here com- 

 monly confounded with the Kapwi, a much smaller tribe,) I have, in my 

 course round the valley, reached the parallel of latitude from which I first 

 set out, having described rather more than a semicircle. This is, however, 

 but the inner of the two circles I propose completing, and until I have 

 made some progress in my way round the outer one, I feel that I shall 

 not be able to furnish satisfactory replies to the queries respecting parti- 

 cular tribes. 



" In several directions, but more especially in the north-east, I am given 

 to understand the languages are so very numerous, that scarcely two 

 villages are to be found in which they are perfectly similar. This, I ap- 

 prehend, arises from the propensity to change inherent in all languages, 

 and which, when left to operate unrestrained by the check which letters 

 impose, soon creates gradually increasing differences of dialect amongst a 

 people originally speaking the same language, but who have become disu- 

 nited, and between whom little intercourse has afterwards subsisted. To 

 the same cause is, I believe, attributed the great diversity of languages 

 and dialects spoken by the aborigines of America, particularly in Brazil, 

 where communities composed each of a small number of families are said 

 to speak languages unintelligible to every tribe around them. Aware of 

 this circumstance as respects a country more favorable to intercourse than 

 the mountainous territory surrounding Manipur, I was not much surprised 

 at finding instances of the same kind in this vicinity. The language 

 spoken in Champhung is only understood by the thirty or forty families its 

 inhabitants. The majority can speak more or less of Manipuri, or the 

 languages of their more immediate neighbours ; but I am told that there 



