Oct. 1858. Mae. 1859.] In Roman Characters. 191 



expedients which have been proposed by different writers 

 resolve themselves into a choice between r and I, if a single 

 letter is employed — or zh if a compound character is admissa- 

 ble. 



Two of the highest authorities in Tamil literature, Dr. 

 Caldwell and Mr. Pope have pronounced the letter on 

 philological grounds to be a form of r but general use and 

 analogy are in favor of considering it a cerebral I. The 

 Committee have therefore resolved to adopt the latter. There 

 being already two els, the proper diacritical mark would be 

 a point above, but this being unsuited to the shape of I they 

 resolve to recommend a line below or I 



The Tamil seems to differ in no wise from the ordin- 

 ary n fully enunciated as a palatal sound. It should there- 

 fore be noted as n* 



The last letter is the equivalent of the Arabic £ and like 

 it should be represented by kh. 



The Arabic Alphabet. 



Thirteen letters peculiar to Semitic alphabets remain to 

 be rendered by Eoman equivalents. 

 They are : — 





j 





Z 



A 

 J 



O 



t 





L 



4 





t 



of which six [or seven including ^] viz., ^ ^ ^ L 1? ^ 

 are reckoned by grammarians to pertain exclusively to the 

 Semitic languages. 



* " The sound of this character although no longer represented by a 

 specific sign in the Malayalam alphabet, seems to be not unknown in the spoken 

 language." Feet's Grammar, p, 4, 



