1837.] 



Languages and Nations. 



\o7 



wudi ettodu ? unnodu purandavergel ettenei ? Ninku kinnudu ettodu ? 

 imacku sinnavergel ettenei ? Tolim enku kimiodu. Ella-rum enacku 

 sinnavergel. These specimens will suffice to show the great similarity 

 of this dialect with the Tamul, although by no means its identity. - 



Some words, the origin of which I have not ascertained, are the 

 following: teckl, or tecJd moh., a man (molj is the same with mahen) ; 

 tuj moh, a woman; kuh, a girl, a daughter ; en, father, (ennen, my 

 father); aw, mother; turu (if written in Tamul: ^JT^^) a plant; 

 poh, red; tuvi, a feather; tashk, above; erk, below; wiildi, pleasant, 

 good; ufn, the back; nobkdde, shoulder ; mit, chin; mithu, whisker; 



moi, beard; — pevvel, thumb, (vel and veld, is the Tamul G@&$q) » 

 polvel, 3d finger; urndori, (if written in Tamul: SSL^jsG l$) 

 4th finger ; erk koi, left hand (lower hand) ; parsh koi, right hand, 

 i^sdsd ^GG)S>^) . Also the names of the week days may perhaps afford 

 a clue, to discover this tribe's relationship with others ; they are : 

 Otsom, or Ossom, Sunday ; Tuvom, Monday ; Om, Tuesday ; Pudiom or 

 Puduvom, Wednesday ; Ta-arn, Thursday ; Pulsh, Friday {Osnm ®fl) • 

 Thunni or Etnat, Saturday > Etnor, a week {<oTU.(Bj5tT8?r). 



The identity of Puduvom and M.^o; Ql^ld, (Buddha's day), is, 

 remarkable, and seems to be a proof that they are a branch of the 

 ancient Buddhists. This idea seems to receive support by the fact, 

 that they call the weel* etnor (*. e. eight days), just as the Teutonic 

 nations, wh'flch coincidence intimates very probably an identity of 

 ancient tradition or opinion. Puduvom, Pulsh and Thuni are the 

 only days the etymology of which agrees with the Tamul. They 

 call also the star, Venus-, Pulsh or Piirsh. Om, (Tuesday) being 

 apparently the first day of their week, may likewise afford a clue to 

 trace their origin, if any tribe in India, or elsewhere, should be 

 ascertained to consider this day as the first of the week. This word 

 is strikingly similar to the Hebrew word : yom, a day. But this is 

 the only w T ord in their language which I have as yet observed to be 

 similar to any of the Shemitic dialects. Their temples, (at least that 

 of the five Cairn-hills near Peycari), are called : Gudimana. Is 

 this as much as Gudi's or Gaudama's (Buddhu's) court-yard, corrupted 

 from, Gudamamanei ? — since manci (^®i3 sr ) means court-yard in 

 Tamul and Canarese. The termination of the verb in i as in bini, bimi, 

 before mentioned, as also the negative form of the verb, as : kaneni 

 (^GWot), katteni Z_@L_<$df) 3 £ reni or £ rianij (^JfSQuJw) 

 reminds one of the Sanscrit forms of dodami, dodasi, &c. Their nume- 

 rals also, and the manner in which they have altered and abbreviated 

 the Tamul ones, may afford a clue, if any other Indian dialect exists in 

 which they are similarly pronounced. They are: l,odd; 2, atu, (or 

 ait) ; 3, muthu, mud ; 4, nalk (Canarese) and nank (ancient Tamul) ; 

 5, uj ; 6, or, 6d ; 7, or, ud ; 8, otthu ; 9, unboth ; 10, potthu ; 



