16 ON THE ORIGIN OP 



rals* stand in fraternal connection with the Pali and the Sanskrit. 

 There is not one Sinhalese word in the above list which has the least 

 affinity to the Tamil, if we except ettu } 4 eight/ Its resemblance 

 to the corresponding numeral of the Indo-European family, is indeed 

 very remarkable ; and it is generally supposed that the Tamil nume- 

 ral noun is derived from the Sanskrit ashta. Bat, as properly re- 

 marked and proved by Caldwell, 4 this resemblance, though so close 

 as to amount almost to identity of sound, is accidental; and disappears 

 cn investigation and comparison, like the resemblance between onna 

 and units, anju and pancka.'^ Again, it is true that oka is used 

 in the Telagu for 4 one but the resemblance between it and the 

 Sinhalese eka is as illusory as that between the English 4 one ' and 

 the Tamil ' onnu.' It is also true that the Canarese on&u, ' one/ 

 and the Malayalam renda for 4 two/ are occasionally used by the 

 Sinhalese as in otu for 4 one-tenth ' or 4 tithes,' and ondu, 4 unit/ 

 iratte, 4 double/ as in playing a Tamil game with chanks; but, as 

 every one conversant with our language fully knows, they are used 

 very seldom, and are not to be met with in our books. " Though 

 eka is invariably used for 4 one/ yet, says Caldwell, a form has been 

 noticed which appears to be allied to the first numeral of the West- 

 ern languages/ viz., una-s 4 less/ which is prefixed to some of the 

 higher numerals to express diminution by one (e. g.) unavinshati, 

 4 nineteen/ like the corresponding prefix un in the Latin undevi- 

 ginti. % Professor Bopp is also of the same opinion; see his Com- 

 parative Grammar, i., p. 416. Where such eminent scholars have 

 expressed an opinion, I cannot but approach the subject with great 

 diffidence; but a careful examination forces a strong conviction into 

 my mind, that the una in the phrase unavinshati is not allied to 

 the Latin unus. This expression for 4 nineteen ' is nearly the same 



* 4 The numerals are generally a very safe criterion of an original relation- 

 ship between languages.' Pr. Max Mulier's Survey of Languages, p. 13. 

 f See Dravidian Grammar, p. 279 et seg. 

 $ ib. p., 264, 



