amongst the Singhalese. 273 



in the formation of the latter language have been exhibited 

 to show that it is a dialect of the Sanscrit, if not immediately 

 transformed from that language.* Upon so important and 

 weighty a question — one, on which the learned world is much 

 too divided — it may not be proper to express an opinion with- 

 out fully entering into an investigation of the subject: nor is 

 it necessary for my purpose to clo so here. My object at 

 present is briefly to show the particular relation which the 

 Singhalese bears to the Pali, and to explain that the Sanscrit 

 element in the Singhalese, to which Dr. Mill refers in the 

 paragraph above extracted from his notes, is one of compara- 

 tively modern introduction. f 1 shall briefly allude to several 

 peculiarities. 



1. It is a phenomenon well known, that in many Sanscrit 

 words a <5S) k is frequently followed by a sh ; and that in 

 their corresponding Pali terms, the sh is changed into the 

 aspirate of/i. Thus: 



©Q 'S^ vriksha into 6 l-CS] <o) rukkha, - tree .' 

 £^,2)0 kshamd into S)^3 khama, 'forgiveness.' 

 e<25§'-:$>56 olakshina into <^<355a3<s£o dakkhina, ' south.' 



kshura into 'q)<5 khara, ' razor.' 

 @i<252gtg kshettra into ©cDo'S khetta, 'field.' 

 On comparing the above with their corresponding Sin- 

 ghalese words, there is clear evidence that the Pali forms 

 are alone changed into the Singhalese. Thus, 

 San. Pali. Sing, 



(Jv^Q) tfc<355 'ruk'„ 



<S3©3 <555@3 ' kama'. 



* " From an examination of the structure of the Cuneiform -Persic, and 

 Zandic, the oldest forms of the dialects of ancient Persia, it is evident that both 

 have been derived from the Sanscrit: the relation which they bear to the latter 

 being- analogous to the relation of the Pali or Prakrit to the same — of Italian 

 to Spanish or Latin." — Journal of R, A. S. Great Britain and Ireland, vol. xvi,, 

 part I., p. 194. 



f See my Sidath- Sangara, p.p. xlviii, clxxxvii. 



