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No. 25.]
THE TIBETAN ALPHABET.
271
Our conclusion is, that the Lafitsha was introduced into Tibet about 1000 A.D., and in this instance not from Northern, but from Eastern India. It should be remembered, that in the hill districts of Northern India, and probably in the plains of the Panjab also, Sarada was used, and not Nägari. The Indian alphabet was adopted wholesale and practically unchanged, probably because it was intended to be used for Sanskrit exclusively.
This explains how the Tibetan tradition came to reverse the real facts. The Lañtsha used exclusively for the sacred language, was considered as the holy script, and consequently the belief arose that it was the original character from which the ordinary Tibetan alphabet was derived. The Vartala is only a variety of Lañteha."
Although the Tibetan script has almost remained stationary since the eighth century, it has andergone a few slight changes, which help us roughly to date ancient documents and inscriptions. The following are the chief characteristics :
(1) The Stein MSS. from Turkistan, and stone monuments from Lhasa, of the 8th or 9th century. The jhas only two parallel horizontal strokes to the right of the vertical stroke. The t in many cases looks as if the left half of the curve had not yet entirely disappeared. The sbape of the th in many cases reminds us strongly of the old Brābmi or Gupta form. The 6 is almost invariably of triangular shape. In one case the right vertical stroke of the b is prolonged below the line. The letter 'a in many cases is furnished on the top with a short additional stroke. The $ in many cases shows the structure of the é distinctly. In & the connecting line between the two vertical lines mostly proceeds from the lower end or the middle of the left vertical line. The h mostly has a horizontal position like the h of Contral Asian Brāhmi.
Vowel signs.--The i vowel sign is very often inverted, and, apparently in the older documente, joined to its consonant base. All the other vowel signs are joined to their consonant bases. The o vowel sign prefers the left upper end of the consonant, with the exception of ch, tsh, kh, and y, where it is joined to the middle, and I, where it is joined to the right upper end. The u vowel sign is joined to the right lower end of the consonant. The e vowel sign is joined to the middle of the upper line of the consonant, with the exception of s, m, and p, where it is joined to the left upper end, and I, where it is occasionally joined to the right upper end. It is often of the shape of a whip.
Other characteristic marks.-(a) The soffixed a (called drag) is used rather frequently : (b) sa bjoined y appearg regularly below m when the latter is followed by i or e; (c) the articles pho and pha instead of po and pa are found occasionally, and also chhini instead of chin in the supine, chhi instead of chi as interrogative pronoun; (d) the vowels e and o are occasionally followed by a lengthening 'a; (e) there are a good number of cases, where the final consonant of a syllable is written below the first consonant; (f) the euphonic laws are somewhat different from those of the present day; (g) aspirated consonants suffer a gid, or b prefix to be placed before them (gchhig, one, etc).
(2) Documents of the 11th and 12th centuries, from Lahoul and Spiti.-The bis of quadrangular form, and all the consonants have their present beautiful shape.
Vowel signs.-The i vowel sign is no longer inverted (with the exception of a few cases in Bu med), nor is it joined to its consonant base. The o vowel sign shows a tendency to be joinert to the right upper end of its consonant base, but occasionally changes about, especially in the case of 8. In p and m it is still joined to the left upper end. The e vowel sign is joined to the left upper end of the consonant base in the case of s, m, and p (probably). In most other cases it shows a tendency to being joined to the right upper end. The u vowel sign is always joined to the right lower end of its consonant base. In dBu med, the # yowel bigo alone is joined to its Consonant base.
