252 jouknal, b.a.s. (oeylon). [Vol. II., Pabt II. 



Just so with the Sinhalese. The affinity which it bears 

 to the Sanskrit is great, so that the conclusion is not that 

 the former is a dialect of the latter, but that they had one 

 common origin. This view seems to be confirmed by the 

 opinion of Dr. Stephenson, who, in a paper read before the 

 Royal Asiatic Society " On the Maharatta Language, on its 

 connection with the other spoken dialects of India, and on 

 its derivation from the Sanskrit, Persian, and other sources," 

 says : " It was thought at one time that ail the spoken 

 dialects of India were merely corruptions of the Sanskrit ; 

 and although many words were found in those dialects 

 which could not be referred to that source, it was supposed 

 that those words had merely crept in by reason of the 

 barbarism and carelessness of the speakers, who introduced 

 them from ignorance of the correct terms. This opinion, 

 however, lost ground as our acquaintance with the native 

 languages increased : and it is now pretty generally admit- 

 ted that those of the south of the peninsula at least are of 

 origin quite distinct from the Sanskrit, and that they have 

 admitted words of that language, not from a want of native 

 terms, but from the influence of religion, all their orthodox 

 writings being composed in Sanskrit." 



Now, the Sinhalese is unquestionably an Indian dialect ; 

 and Dr. Stephenson conceives that the case is the same, 

 though in a less degree, with the other languages of India ; 

 that in all of them the Sanskrit is grafted on an aboriginal 

 language ; and that, proceeding from the north, it diminishes 

 in quantity as we go southwards, becoming scarcely any- 

 thing in the vernacular Tamil : in the same way as in 

 Europe the influence of the Latin, which is predominant in. 

 the south, decreases as one approaches Britain and Germany. 



To the Elu language, then, which is the Ceylonese or Sinha- 

 lese, are known ten vowels and twenty consonants. The vo wels 

 are subdivided into <£g or qc^ "short," and csgdi "long." 



