ON LYCIAN INSCRIPTIONS. 217 



without being identical, express modifications 

 of sound too numerous for us to appreciate. 

 Disregarding variations in form, which may be 

 attributed to the whims of the sculptors, there 

 are five distinct letters, two of which are also 

 used double, making seven changes, which it 

 is difficult to express by more than five, u, u, u, 

 w, and o. It is probable that they represented 

 a greater number of sounds than these, but we 

 cannot hope to distinguish them more accurately 

 until we know the relative dates of the different 

 Lycian monuments; as we have inscriptions ex- 

 tending over a long period, during which the 

 language was undergoing considerable changes, 

 from which these letters suffered more than any 

 others. The following is the explanation offered 

 of them : — 



^j/ and V are so near each other, that it is 

 difficult to distinguish between them, although 

 they are not absolutely identical, and we are 

 forced to regard both as U short. Of the two, 

 the first is probably the shorter in sound."" In 

 all the common words in which either of these 

 letters occurs, there seems a preference for one 



* It has been distinguished by a mark u y the other being 

 represented by u without any distinguishing sign. 



