206 Report on Writing Indian Words [No. 8, New Series, 



exactly the sound of the Roman h whereas ^ has a peculiar 

 guttural sound which I conceive to be more appropriately 

 designated by an additional sign or mark. 



I differ also from the Professor in using h for « and m 

 conformity with the principle laid down in rule 2, and with 

 the generally adopted practice, I would employ q for that pur- 

 pose. 



There remains the vexata litera ^ which Wilson writes 

 as d with a circumflex over it. 



This does not appear more happy than any of the pre- 

 ceding schemes which have been suggested. 



I like the plan adopted by the Missionaries in Bengal and 

 followed by Dr. Sprenger and some of the Bengal orientalists 

 of employing a comma above the line as l'nat, i^J^ adding a 

 vowel where necessary as in malun ^yb* 



lab <_,^ 

 in'am 



or it might be represented by the short vowel with a comma 

 over it, as 



mal'aun 



l'aab 



fn'aam 



The letter ^ is represented in Wilson's scheme by s which 

 has this propriety, that the diacritical signs are the same as 

 those of the original. But the true sound of the letter is the 

 English th and I am inclined to think that sign is preferable. 

 A familiar instance occurs in the word ^ thamr, fruit, as 

 ^djJbj^)^ iama ^ hindi, the Tamarind. But in India, the 

 sound has been very generally corrupted to that of a pure 

 sibilant s, so that I would not insist on any change. 



Walter Elliot, 



