INTEODUCTIOK. 



3 



Darblianga (including Madliubani) and MuzaSarpui- districts. The dialect 

 of Champaran I only know through writings, and through information 

 acquired from natives of that district whom I have met. 



As to the character of the language, it is comparatively free from ad- 

 mixture with foreign words. It abounds in words of Hindu! origin, is composed 

 mainly of words derived through Prakrit from Samskrit, and at the same time 

 borrows freely from Sarnskrit itself. Even the Musalmans, while of course 

 using more Arabic and Persian words than the Hindus, abstain from using 

 them to anything like the extent to which their Urdu speaking brethren 

 of the north-west alfect them, not excepting their sacred hymns connected 

 with their religion. I give a few examples of these in the Appendix, and 

 it will be noticed how extremely free they are, for their subject, from foreign 

 words. 



In conclusion, I have only to put on record my indebtedness to Mr. 

 Etherington's excellent Hindi grammar. I have had it constantly by my 

 side, and I have made its arrangement the skeleton which I clothed with. 

 MaithiK forms. In some paragraphs I have actually used Mr. Etherington's 

 language ; and I ofEer no excuse for doing so, as it would be impossible for 

 me to express the subject-matter in clearer language, or in fewer words. 



