86 REV. FR. J. HOFFMANN, S.J. 



long and short syllables, but it is not easy to ascertain the exact rules, because the 

 distinction is not sufficiently marked to be readily perceived throughout. Even the 

 most educated among the Mundas can give no satisfactory account of it. Distinctly 

 long syllables are met with only in the comparatively few cases where two vowels are 

 contracted into one ; this happens mainly in a small number of contracted frequenta- 

 tives, and in the indeterminate tense, i.e., that form which is used to make general 

 statements. Besides this, in vivid descriptions the Mundas lengthen out the tense 

 affixes as well as the vowels of other words into distinctly long syllables in an arbitrary 

 manner. This is done in conversational language for the sake of emphasis. Vowels 

 thus lengthened become prominently accentuated, v.g., horare y instead of horare ; 

 nirjanae, instead of nirjanae. There exists also quite a number of very short neutral 

 vowels which seem mainly intended to form a sort of easy transition between two 

 consonants ; these vowels are so short as to be often hardly perceived by a foreigner. 

 These, as well as the arbitrarily lengthened syllables mentioned above, do not enter as 

 rhythmic factors into the line. 



When actually singing, the Mundas lengthen any vowel, even the short neutrals 

 just mentioned, in an apparently arbitrary manner just to suit the melody. It is, 

 therefore, difficult to decide whether there be or not a really sustained verbal rhythm 

 in the lines, and to point out in what it consists. Some pieces seem to have it dis- 

 tinctly, whereas in others hardly a trace of it can be seen. Similarly, for the sake of 

 the melody, the following euphonic, or rather melic, additions are made to words : — 



(a) Words beginning with a vowel, especially when they stand first in a line, often 

 take an initial n by way of an easy start for the first note, v.g. nokorega for okorega, 

 napu for apu. In the case of words beginning with an h, the aspirate is thrown out by 

 this initial n, v.g. nor a for hora. 



(b) Vowels are either infixed or suffixed to words. These inserted vowels have the 

 full value of the ordinary Mundari vowels ; they must, therefore, not be confounded 

 with the short or neutral vowels mentioned above, v.g. Sel-e-kuti for Selkuti, miru-o 

 for mini. 



(c) Vowels, instead of being merely lengthened, are sometimes changed into 

 diphthongs : osair for osar. 



All these changes make it sometimes difficult for a foreigner to recognize words in 

 a song ; he will not, for instance, at once recognize the word osar in nosair, or hojortan 

 in nojoretan. 



We do not, therefore, in the lines of Mundari poetry, find that pronounced rhythm, 

 arising out of the original word-form, which is such an essential feature of our own 

 poetry. On the contrary the words have to submit to certain changes in order to 

 accommodate themselves to that kind of rhythm which is inherent in the melody.. 

 Nor is there anywhere any attempt at rhyming. Since the pieces are not intended for 

 recitation, the need for rhyme has probably never been felt by the Mundas. 



There is a distinct attempt to have a fixed number of syllables in the lines of 

 the same piece. However that attempt is hardly ever entirely successful. The 

 number of syllables varies considerably in different songs. 



