250 JOURNAL, B,A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. II., PART II, 



respectively dialects of the languages from whence such terms 

 are derived. If also the premise for the conclusion under 

 consideration be correct, we may reasonably affirm that the 

 Sinhalese is also a dialect of the Magahadi or Pali, for 

 words derived from the Pali into the Sinhalese are as 

 generally abundant as those from the Sanskrit. Indeed, the 

 author of the " Sidatsangara'wa " says t— 



" Words may be divided into three classes : (i.) £>og$, purely 

 native Elu words ; (ii.) £3S3®, words common to Elu, Pali, and 

 Sanskrit ; and (hi.) words derived from the Pali and Sanskrit, 



but slightly different from the original by their adoption into 

 the Elu." 



Upon the above process of reasoning we may well conclude 

 that the Sinhalese is a dialect of the Sanskrit and Pali. 

 But this is absurd, if on no other ground, upon a view of 

 the definition with which we have set out. For, since the 

 Elu has words of its own, and words, too, which, though 

 bearing some affinity to, are not derived from, the Sanskrit, 

 they cannot be pronounced to be the same radical language 

 as to "the substance of it."- 



Again, a language and the dialect of that language are not 

 diverse, but one and "the same radical language ": e. g., 

 the Attic, the Ionic, the Doric, and the JEolic, are dialects 

 of the same radical language, the Greek, and agree with 

 each other in the general principles of declensions, con* 

 jugations, &c, but, I believe, differ from one another in 

 spelling or pronunciation, or both — variations which, in the 

 words of our definition, affect merely the "manner of 

 speech " and " the manner used." The Sinhalese is however 

 different from the Sanskrit in more than one substantial 

 point. A great portion of the language is not derived from 

 the Sanskrit : the Sinhalese has but two genders, whereas the 

 Sanskrit has three : in the former, the verbs are not conju- 

 gated as in the latter ; nor are the roots the same in both. 

 The changes which words undergo in the Sinhalese are 



