96 
SHANSCRIT. 
imperfect , or crude noun. To make a nominative to any 
noun, the termination must be changed, and a new form sup¬ 
plied. Thus we see that, in the Shanscrit at least, the nomina¬ 
tive has an equal right with any other inflexion to be called 
case. The Shanscrit has seven declensions of nouns, which 
are all used in the singular, dual and plural number, and 
differently formed, as they terminate with a consonant, and 
with a long or short vowel; and also as they are of different 
genders. The seven changes of inflexion are exclusive of the 
vocative, and therefore the Shanscrit comprehends two more 
than even those of the Latin: they are as follow, viz.:—1. The 
nominative, or agent in a sentence. 2. The passive case, or 
subject of the action. 3. The causal case, pointing out the 
cause by which a thing is done; or the instrument with 
which it is done; or the subject in or by which it is suf¬ 
fered. 4. The dative, with the sign to ox for. 5. The 
ablative, implying the subject from whence any thing pro¬ 
ceeds. 6. The possessive case, called by us the genitive. 7. 
The locative case, definitive of situation, and generally 
known by the sign in. The vocative is excluded from the 
number of cases, as no inflexion is employed in its formation. 
The Shanscrit, the Arabic, the Greek, and the Latin 
verbs are furnished with a set of inflexions and terminations 
so comprehensive, and so complete, that by their form 
alone they can express all the different distinctions both of 
person and time. Three separate qualities are in them per¬ 
fectly blended and united. Thus by their root, they denote 
a particular act; and by their inflexion, both point out the 
time when it takes place, and number of the agents. Every 
Shanscrit verb has a form equivalent to the middle voice of 
the Greek, used through all the tenses with a reflective 
sense; and the former is even the most extensive of the two 
in its use and offices; for in Greek the reflective idea can 
only be adopted intransitively, when the action of the verb 
descends to no extraneous subject; but in Shanscrit the 
verb is both reciprocal and transitive at the same time. 
The verb substantive of the Shanscrit very nearly resembles 
those of the Greek and Latin; but perhaps it would not 
be suspected that all the verbs in mi are formed exactly 
upon the same principle with the Shanscrit conjugations, 
even in the minutest particulars. All the terms which serve 
to qualify, to distingnish, or to augment either substance or 
action, are classed by the Shanscrit grammarians under a 
head, literally signifying increase or addition. According 
to this arrangement, a simple sentence consists of three num¬ 
bers: the agent, the action, and the subject ; which, in a 
grammatical sense, are reduced to two, viz., the noun 
(whether agent or subject) and the verb. All such words as 
tend to specificate or to amplify the noun, are denominated 
by a term which signifies adjectives or epithets ; and such 
as are applied to denote relation or connexion, are called 
connectives of nouns, and by European grammarians, pre¬ 
positions ; those particles which in any manner affect the 
verb are denominated attributes of verbs. 
The Shanscrit alphabet contains fifty letters; and it is 
one boast of the Bramins, that it exceeds all other alphabets 
in this respect. But when w'e consider that of their thirty- 
four consonants, nearly half are combined sounds, and that 
six of their vowels are merely the correspondent long ones 
to as many which are short, the advantage seems to be little 
more than imaginary. The Shanscrit character, used in 
Upper Hindoostan, is said to be the same original letter that 
was first delivered to the people by Brihma, and is called 
Diewnagur, or the language of angels; whereas the character 
used by the Bramins of Bengal is by no means so ancient, 
and is evidently a corruption of the former. In the four 
beids, or vedas, which constitute the original and sacred text 
of the great Hindoo creator and legislator Brihma, the length 
of the vowels is expressed by a musical note or sign placed 
over every word; and in reading the beids, these distinc¬ 
tions of tone and time must be nicely observed; so that they 
produce all the effect of a laboured recitative. It is remark¬ 
able, that the Jews in their synagogues chant the Pentateuch 
in the same kind of melody, and it is supposed that this 
usage has descended to them from the remotest ages. Some 
writers have erroneously asserted, that the four beids STB m 
verse; whereas they are written in a kind of measured prose 
and they are now scarcely intelligible to the most learned 
pundits or lawyers; they are also scarce, and difficult to be 
found. However, comments have been written upon them 
from the earliest periods; of which one of the most ancient 
and approved was composed by Bisesht Mahamome, or the 
Most Wise, a great writer and prophet, who is said to have 
lived in the suttee jogue, or first age of the world. See Hal- 
hed’s Preface to his translation of the Code of Gentoo Laws, 
printed in 1776. 
Dr. Leyden, in his account of the languages and literature 
of the Indo-Chinese nations, (Asiatic Researches, vol. x.) has 
shewn, that the “ Pali,” as it is generally written, or 
“ Bali” language, as it is commonly pronounced, oc¬ 
cupies the same place among the Indo-Chinese nations, 
which Shanscrit holds among the Hindoos, or Arabic among 
the followers of Islam. Throughout the greater part of the 
maritime countries, which lie between India and China, it is 
the language of religion, law, literature and science, and has 
had an extensive influence in modifying the vernacular lan¬ 
guage of those regions. La I.oubere, on the authority of 
d’Herbelot, has stated that the ancient Persic language was 
termed Pahalevi (Pahlavi), and that the Persians do not dis¬ 
tinguish in writing between Pahali and Bahali. P. Paulinus, 
however, applies this term Bali inaccurately to the square Bali 
character, instead of the language. This language, notwith¬ 
standing its extensive use among so many nations, and the 
degree of cultivation which it has received from the different 
tribes by whom it is employed, has hitherto attracted little 
attention among Europeans. The Bali alphabet, according 
to Dr. Leyden, seems, in its origin, to be a derivative from 
the Deva-nagari, though it has not only acquired considerable 
difference of form, but has been also modified to a certain 
degree, in the power of the letters, by the monosyllabic pro¬ 
nunciation of the Indo-Chinese nations. The form of the 
Bali character varies essentially among the different nations 
by whom it is used. 
The Bali is an ancient dialect of Shanscrit, which some¬ 
times approaches very near the original. When allowance 
is made for the regular interchange of certain letters, the 
elision of harsh consonants, and the contraction of similar 
syllables, all the vocables which occur in its ancient books, 
seem to be purely Shanscrit. In Cheritas and later com¬ 
positions, however, some words of the popular languages of 
the country sometimes insinuate themselves, in the same 
manner asTamul, Telinga, and Canara vocables occasionally 
occur, in the latter Shanscrit compositions of the Dekhin. 
The Bali, while it retains almost the whole extent of Schan- 
crit flexions, both in nouns and verbs, nevertheless employs 
this variety rather sparingly in composition, and affects the 
frequent introduction of the preterite participle, and the use 
of impersonal verbs. It also uses the cases of nouns in a 
more indeterminate manner than the Shanscrit, and often 
confounds the active, neuter, and passive tenses of verbs- 
Like other derivative dialects, it occasionally uses Shanscrit 
nouns and particles in an oblique sense; but notwithstanding 
all these circumstances, it approaches much nearer the pure 
Shanscrit, than any other dialect, and exhibits a close 
affinity to the Prakrit, and the Zend. 
These three dialects, the Prakrit, the Bali, and the Zend, 
are probably the most ancient derivatives from the Shan¬ 
scrit. The great mass of vocables in all the three, and even 
the forms ot flexions, both in verbs and nouns, are derived 
from the Shanscrit, according to regular laws of elision, 
contraction, and permutation of letters. Sometimes they 
differ considerably, sometimes one, and sometimes another 
of them approaches nearest to the original Shanscrit. Their 
connection with this parent language was perceived, and 
pointed out by Sir W. Jones, and has also been alluded to 
by P. Paulinus, who derives his information, concerning the 
Bali, from Carpanius, and Mantegatius. The fate of these 
three languages is also, in some degree, similar. The Prakrit 
is the language which contains the greater part of the sacred 
books of the Jainas; the Bali is equally revered among the 
followers 
