332 
REPORT—1847. 
tiirc, and has introduced, as he says, into tlie northern languages some 
affixes for tliose in former use. In admitting this, however, he admits dkw 
than he set'ms aware of. P’or we very seldom, or rather never find thiti 
jjeople, though receiving a great number of foreign words into the dictionirj 
of its Janguage, have adopted at the same time a foreign grammstid 
tiyfitem, so that the mere fact, that one part of the grammar of the northrni 
languages is evidently of Sanscrit origin, would seem to speak by itself *(tj 
intich in favour of admitting the same for the other part. 
But then tlic chief point is to consider, whether the instances brought for- 
war<l as unexplainable by the rules of Sanscrit grammar and by the prineipl't 
of the general structure of the Indo-Germanic languages, maynotbefod 
to be formed by grammatical elements which have been similarly used hyt^* 
Arinn languages, particularly by their modern representatives. .Wthsl 
think 1 am able to do tor every grammatical form which Dr. Stevrnsonl* 
pointed out as nou-Sanscritical or Turkish, because he found it not esartlj 
thu same as in the old and classical Sanscrit, while a comparisouof:- 
modern development, whicli other Indo*Germanic languages have 
will clearly show the analogies existing between the changes which 
hangiiage has experienced in the course of two thousand years and iboa 
known in other branches of the Indo-Germaiiic family. 
It may be remembered that at present I meditate only a vindicatioaj^ 
the Bengali language, which, if successful, will perhaps throw some np- 
also upon tJie other northern dialects. As far as the soiitlum languages aff 
concerned, I abstain from giving any decided opinion, and shall content ai^' 
with noticing some coincidences between them and the dialects of the norti 
Beginning with the declensions, Dr. Stevenson rcm.irks, tliat these eid'j 
langtiages (viz. Bengali, I lindi, Gujerathi, Marathi, Telugu, Carnatica, 1#®' 
and Singhalese) are all deficient iu the number of cases required w 
the diflercnt relations of nouns, and supply the deficiency by panicles p* 
after tliu root or some of the cases. 
1 his is a fact, which, far from being surprising, would have bffu 
p.ilcd by every one acquainted with the relation in which modern 
stand to their parent tongue*. The original and expressive forms by 
the old language of India formed it* admirable system ofdedeusi'^ ^ 
in the course of centuries, and particularly during the lapse of an wttc 
middle age, lost their pure form and their distinctive power. But the If™* 
language foiiml in itself the principle anil elements of anew life, 
It nguin at the period of its regeticraiion in the possession of richer snu ' 
powerful means than many of the modern languages of Europe * 
of. It is true that the dual of the Sanscrit Janguage has entirely”*^ 
peared in Bengali, and that the nominative is the only case of the p®* 
winch ha* preserved an original form; but all the elements which havc^ 
substituted in order to form the number and cases of words are undoohte**.' 
of .Sanscrit origin; and wc find sometimes the first traces of their 
ticaJ employment in ancient works, and much more in the modera boe**- 
and especially in those of the Buddhistic coliection. _ 
rp, *®tne is to be said of the gender of substantives and adj^ 
llu* suhsiamives, adjectives, pronouns and verbs have no difFerent 
