________________
340
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1895.
Labials.
Semi-vowels.)
Remarks. - (1) Esch, Ċ kl, ¿ gh, o que , b6, , 3, are all purely Arabic letters.
(2) u f is purely Arabo-Persian. (3); xh is purely Persian ; in Mp. it is used instead of ts. (4) w [fi] is pronounced nyi. (5) The letters enclosed in marks of parenthesis do not occur in Np.
PRONUNCIATION. 4. The pronunciation of the consonants is the same as in Persian and Hind Qstani. On the other hand the correct pronunciation of the vowels is not shewn by the Sáradê (Dêvanîgari), or by the Persian Alphabet, or by any existing system of transliteration in the Roman character.? For this reason, I have contented myself with reproducing the vowels which I find in the texts in the Sáradâ and Persian characters which are available to me, without any reference to the pronunciation ; and refer the reader, who requires further information, to the scholarly and thorough comparison of Kasmiri sounds given by Leech (see above, - Authorities, I. 2 (b) pp. 399-410). I may, however, remark that -
(1) Persian i , and Saradâ e, is sounded as ä in feminine forms; e.g.,
karüt, Sarada [ 4.] karáth. [This is as often as not represented by <a. I represent the sound whenever it oocars, however it may be writen, by 4. -
TRANS.] (2) The vowel at the end of a word and before suffixes is hardly audible ; e. g..
dopx (or vá dop), Sârada [kg] dapu; coli dopu-n-as, "Såradê [ gan ]
dapu-n-as; (3) Tá, is pronounced 8 in feminine forms ; e. g., pojom sôzôm, fem. jg sôzôyam ; (4) L á and, l are frequently pronounced like the d in T ab, water.' Hence wyt is (os) is written wig ds* in Sâradâ, and we aso in Devanagari.
[Note by Translator on Kasmiri pronuncistion. 5. Since the above was written the difficalt question of Kasmirt pronunciation has had much light thrown upon it by the excellent little grammar of Wade. The following notes derived
*[This was written before Mr. Wade's Grammar was published.) (Aloos, see translator's note below.]
