222 Terms of address in use 



(p. 76.) ©^©3(3 and (^.©3(3 >si are derived from ©0 and ©(3^>i 

 respectively, and mean c Behold'— whence they are used as 

 vocatives or terms of address. ©3£o£>3, ©iQJ0($&5, and eD8 

 which are used with Oog^cd or o®, are terms of regard or 

 attachment used frequently amongst the lower classes : the 

 first by- husbands towards their wives et vice versa, and by 

 ordained priests towards their Samanera pupils, as ©32003 

 k: 2' j£ritt- L &&3 tantamount to " I say, Master Priest :" the 

 second, amongst relations, friends, and equals speaking kindly 

 to each other,* by old people towards their wives et vice 

 versa; and the third to males alone, as by wives to their 

 husbands, or by a superior to bis inferior speaking familiarly. 

 This last, as well as ep£o ada 9 I am inclined to believe to be 

 of Tamil origin. 



There is another word ©o33, which I shall notice here. 

 It is only used when no other term can be properly applied 

 to a person either without offence or without conveying too 

 much respect. The reader should, however, bear in mind not 

 to confound this word with another of a similar sound ©est 

 he or yonder person, which is used in familiar intercourse 

 amongst the Singhalese to signify a person near the person 

 spoken to, or opposite to the person speaking. Like @&53, 

 <2X£3 may be used in the third person, when the degree of 

 respect due to the person spoken of, is uncertain or unknown. 



I may also here notice another class of words which are 

 terms of address, other than vocatives, and used as honorifics 

 to particular individuals, as ; ¥ Mudianse ralahami?\ " Mo- 

 handiram mahatmaya" 4f Lekam maliatraaya" " Arachy rcda" 

 &c. ; but I prefer following the order of the learned writer 

 before me, who treating of the honorific &)&}&5@c£ makes the 

 following remarks at p. 694 



* When a native wishes to convey that he is on good terms with another, he 

 would say: — *'* Why, we address each other umha and bolanP 



f The Kandians use Nudianse-mahatmaya, but this is a provincialism. 



$ Here, as elsewhere, the references arc to Mr. Justice Stark's Essay on Forms 

 of Salutation, &c. in the Society's Journal for 1353. 



