m 



ON TilK ORIGIN OF 



y&e's tli « precedence of the accusative; and the finite verb is placed 

 last in the sentence. 



— ■Tan pacta tena atthato uggahetva p&varitan; na-patfisam- 

 bhidaya tfhitena; sohi raaha pannataya tan tan bhasan kathapetva 

 ugganhi: Tato uggahetfiatva evan pavaresi. Bhasan naraa satta 

 ngganhantiti vutvacha panettha id an kathitan, Matapitarohi dahara 

 kale kumarake mancheva pitheva nipajapetva tan tan kathaya ma- 

 na tani tani kichchani karonti; daraka tesan tan tan bhasan va- 

 vatthapentu i imina idan vuttan, iinina uda vuttan '-ti gachchante 

 kale sabbampi bhasan jananti. 



Sinhalese— e vanahi artayen igena pavarana-Za^ ; pilisimbi- 

 yfivehi sitiyan-visin nove ; hetema mahapsena-vat brevin e e basa 

 kiyava ugati : eheyin igenmehi sita mese pasvari. Basa nam satvayo 

 iganaganityayi kiyada vanahi mehi meya kiyana-ladi. Mavu-piyo 

 vanahi ladaru kala kumarun messeho putuveho hova e e* [has] 

 klja-min e e katayutu kara-ft'$ ladaruvo ohunge e e bas — ' meyin 

 meka kiyana-ladi meyin meka kiyana-lada}'-?/S niyamakaraganiti : 

 kal-yamen j siyalu-wza basava daniti. 



English-* 1 He so (spake) from (a knowledge of the languages) 

 acquired by actual study — not through inspiration. For, being 

 a very wise personage he knew those several dialects by learning : 

 wherefore, being one of (such) acquirements, he so inquired. This 

 is said here (to illustrate) that men acquire a language (by study). 

 Parents place their children, when young, either on a cot or a 

 chair, and speak different things, and perform different actions. 

 Their words are then distinctly impressed on the children (on 

 their minds, thinking,) that such was said by him, and such by the 

 other ; and in process of time they learn the entire language.' 



i. Here patisambhidaya Fa\\.—Pilisimbiyavehi; 'inspiration;' 

 sohi has not produced hetema, which comes from he= { that,' ' he' 



* Yamak yamak would be better. 



I I have put this in the ablative, but the locative may be elegantly used as 

 in the Pali. 



