CEYLON 



BRANCH 



—ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY, 



43 



our language, scarcely a word sounds now as it is spelled ; 

 while in the Italian there is a close resemblance to the 

 oriental languages in the faithfulness with which the letters 

 still represent all the actual sounds of the language. 



VIII. Perhaps we may mention also, among the advan- 

 tages of introducing the Roman alphabet for teaching Sin- 

 ghalese as well as English, that a child might then be taught 

 Singhalese, and enabled to read whatever works may be 

 hereafter printed in the Roman character in that language, 

 and yet remain unqualified for reading the popular olas, 

 from which anything but good is to be expected. It would 

 have prevented great evils, also, if the Holy Scriptures had 

 been printed in the Roman character only, for some time at 

 least, subsequently to their first translation, namely, until 

 those engaged in the grand achievement, were in some 

 measure agreed as to what style of language was to be 

 adopted, what sense of difficult passages to be taken, and 

 what words to be chosen to express the more peculiar ideas 

 of revelation. 



But it is time to enter on the analysis announced at the 

 beginning of this paper. And for this purpose we may, as is 

 usual, consider the elements of speech as consisting of vowels 

 and consonants ; which in the Sidat Sangara, a grammar of 

 the Elu or Ela or Hela or Sela or Selan or Ceylon language, 

 as in those Asiatic Grammars generally which are modelled 

 after the ancient Sanskrit Grammar, are beautifully com- 

 pared, the vowels to the life or vital stream, the consonants to 

 the members, we may almost say, the articulations of the body, 



OF VOWELS. 



Let the vocal tube be kept open and sounding, the tongue 

 being in its natural position, and one of those elements of 

 speech found in all languages, and known by the name of 

 vocales or vowels, will be produced. As to their number, 

 they may be said to be infinite, because every new position 



