24 



ON THE ORIGIN OF 



source, although the Tamil word itself is derived from the Sanskrit 

 hhara. Again on comparing the Sinhalese with the Tamil, we do 

 not find a single Tamil word that has any relation to the ancient 

 Sinhalese words of the same signification. But whilst we thus 

 have for every Tamil word, its Sinhalese equivalent clearly allied 

 to the Pali and unconnected with the Tamil, it will be observed, 

 that there are a few Sinhalese synonymes which have some resem- 

 blance to the Tamil. These secondary formations are nine in 

 number, and are the following, which I shall examine separately. 



i. The Sinhalese word kakula is supposed to have come from 

 the Tamil kal, ' foot.' Not finding it in our books, I am inclined 

 to treat it as a Tamil derivative; but it is very remarkable that 

 kakula, deflected from its original signification of kal, is used to 

 express — not the ' foot,' but, the * leg.' 



ii. There is some distant resemblance between olu and talei, 

 s head'; but it is purely a native word, and does not bear anyrela* 

 tion to the Tamil. See Sidatsanjiara, § 22. 



iii. Some believe that our Sinhalese bada comes from the Ta- 

 mil vayaru, 6 belly.' This is a mistake. The resemblance between 

 these two words is not greater than that between bada, and the 

 English belly or body; indeed it is reasonable to believe that it 

 comes from the Pali bondi, ( body ;' although a friend suggests that 

 bada, as a name for the largest part of the body, may be from the 

 North-Indian bada, e great.' 



iv. Appd, Sinhalese==czjt?pera, Tamil, 1 father.' I have already 

 noticed this word, ante p. 10. I may here add that its use is. 

 confined to the colloquial language. 



v. Sevul, Sinhalese=5«re/, Tamil, 'cock.' This is clearly 

 from the Tamil. So far as my observation goes, it has been intro^ 

 duced into our language within the last four hundred years. 



vi. Tara i duck ' is a modern introduction from the Tamil into 

 the colloquial speech of the Sinhalese. Neither Sanskrit nor Sin- 

 halese writers have ever drawn a distinction between the Swan 

 and the domestic goose or duck. The word used by both for all 



