Indian Antiquary Vol 22

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 31

JANUARY, 1893.]
THE NAME “BASSEIN."
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place, that by 1800 the situation of " Cosmin" had become forgotten, that by 1750 Persaim had also become established, and that Bassein began to supersede Persaim about 1800.
The modern Burmese name is Pabóng, by urdinary Burmese phonetics used for Pubông, spelt Pusin and Pusim.
In the Kalyani Inscriptions (1476 A. D.) we have Kusima-nagara for Bassein and Kusimamandala for the Bassein division of the Talaing Territories (Ramaññadêsa). In the Kaung. můdd' Inscription (1650 A. D.), we have Kubêng, and in the Porsdaung Inscription (1774 A. D.) wo have again Kubèng (spell Kusim). Yule says, 8. v. Cosmin, that Alaangpaya changed the name from Kubong to Pubêng on his conquest of the Talaing Country in 1755-60. This is comparable with that monarch's well-known deliberate change of the name Dagôn to Yángôn (Rangoon) in 1755, bat Yale's statement is unfortunately bad history, because we have Yule's own and other evidence to show that Persaim (Pabeng) was used before the date of Alaungp'aya's conquest in 1735-60.
It is, however, evident from the above quotations that the Burmese changes of sound must have have been synchronous with the European attempts to pronounce them : that as long as the Burman said Kabêng, the European said Cosmin, etc.: and that when the Burman changed his pronunciation Kabêng to Pabeug, the European used Persaim. The uncertainty in the initial cousonant was still observable among the Burmaus ap to nearly the middle of this century, for Yule, Ava, p. 352, quoting Colonel Burney, 1830, says it is uncertain whether he wrote Kothein or Pothein for Bassein :-" The letter in Burney's MS. is doubtful."
This change from initial P to K in such names is not isolated, and is probably purely phonetic, for we have a well-known place dame in Upper Burma, now called Pak'an (spelt Puk'an), which in old Burmese MSS. is written Kuk'an. Doubtless upon this hint other examples might be unearthed.
The s in such words &s Bassein, Syriam, Tenasserim, Cassay, where the Burman distinctly uses b, may be due to two causes.
Firstly, the Talaing pronunciation may be responsible, as the Talainge uses for the same letter that the Burmese pronounce b. The Talaing pronunciation of the name Bassein is Pasêm or Pasim, according to dialect.
Secondly, many early European writers, such as Sangermano, could not say D and attempted to reproduce the sound by s. In Sangermano we have many instances of s for b in parts of Burma beyond the influence of the Talaing tongue.
Thus, Sangermano, in a short account of the Burmese language, writes, p. 1458 :- "Thus, I go is stà si; I went, suà bi; I will go, sud mi." And again :-"Thus, the imperative go is sud tò; is he gone, suà bi là; by going, sud lien." These vernacular expressions are really pronounced bra ti, Drá by bwá mi, bwd do, bwa bi lá, brod.lyin.
Besides the above we have such strong instances on the following :- p. 95, seinabang; p. 144, sôn=bông (three); p. 78, sesaucchi=bwebaukchí, a sergeant, (see ante, Vol. XX. p. 433), p. 104, Mengasalot, by mistake for Mengalasot, for the well-known book Mingaldbók; pp. 35;
6 Yule, Mission to Ava, p. 807.
• Yule, Hobson-Jobson, quotes in support Forchhammer's Notes on the Early Hist. and Geog. of British Burma, No. 2, p. 12. Forchhammer's statement that the word pubong means a "hot image-house" is false etymology, for no Burman would use the expression, but would say "béngba:" besides beng is not an "image-house," bat a "hall of ordination." It may be interesting to make the following quotation from Symes, Embassy to Ava, 1800, p. 23:
Previous to his departure from Dagon, Alompra laid the foundation of the town now 80 well known by the name of Rangoon or Drangoon, which signifies victory atchieved (sic). Here stond in former days large populous city called in the Pali Singounterra.' And here is a pas le : close to "Dogon" in two mape by Van der As, 1720, both after Caspar Balby, is a place called "Langon." If this -" Rangoon" the received tale falla.
See Crawford's Embassy to Ava, pp. 288-284, and Yale, Hobson-Jobson, .. . • The pages refer throaghout the paper to the reprint of 1888.
• It must be remembered that, Sangormano wrote in Italian, all his tranporiptions of Burmese soods must be treated as Italian words.