314 JOURNAL R. A. S. (CEYLON). [YoI. III. 



English expression, the original word ' smelleth ' is rendered 

 ' stinkethf t»€) 3 ©^5 ©eg ©d^3S eoS3(5<;s)e83si'©E)^3S)i§^ 

 qi&d co^^iS)8 ^s)jo3 ; but it must be observed, that the 

 Sinhalese never use the word css^ ' stink ' in a company, 

 but invariably convey the idea by calling it ' smell.' I must 

 not omit, however, to observe here, that even the word ®><q, 

 although it has undergone a change in its use by its being 

 applied at present to mean only 'stink,' originally meant 

 'smell' or 'scent.' As in the following passage in 

 Amaivatura : — 



"Gods and men having offered scents, and flowers, said 'O great 

 man ! there is no one here equal to thee. " 



Other instances are not wanting, where to a vivid exhibition 

 of what may appear as delicate, offensive, or indecent, the 

 Sinhalese use a turn of expression different from that which 

 they otherwise use. 



Following the order in which Dr. Campbell has treated 

 of tropes, I shall here allude to the catnchresis. An example 

 of the use of words in a signification that is very near their 

 ordinary meaning, may be furnished from the following 

 portion of a dialogue to which I listened with pleasure ; 

 ©aaaSq Stoatf c©@<53(3 ? Where, I say, is your husband 1 ©£) 

 $&5®&5 ©s}^> §)®>eri ' I don't know, it Was some 



where there.' The force and beauty of the Sinhalese ex- 

 pression are entirely lost in the translation. We only use 

 .sS§<S3a when we refer to an inanimate object. When animate 

 objects are spoken of c^^ 3 ('was') is the verb employed. 

 In the example before us ^Sg^o occurs where £erto) should 

 have been used. Although this is an impropriety of language 

 (as doubtless in the passage in the Cotta version of the Bible, 



£qo3 ©®ot qdiQoO &%®qZl23Q) ©© <33ic8e>03© ©l8^§)^30a-, 



I Kings iii. 21 *), yet when we wish to express contempt at the 



* See Sidath Sangarawa, p. cclvi. 



