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JUXE, 1898.]
CURRENCY AND COINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE.
181
In this way there are two inherent vowels, and, and two sets of open vowel modifications thereof. Thus:
Surd Modifications of Open Vowels. kā ka ki kt ku ka ke kda kūn kau kâu kòmo ka kai kte koe kêaa
Sonant Koditostions of Open Vowels.
ke kêa ki ka ku kia ke koa kðu keau kom kua But, as in Burmese and all the cognate tongues, final consonants also modify preceding vowels, and we thus get a double set of modifications, which renders the reading of Talking very difficult.
On considering the effect of the final consonants there will be found to be an ordinary and a special modification of both surds and sonants with each vowel. Thus:
Ordinary Modifications with Final Consonants. With initial surds.
With initial sonants. open ... ... kã kê kan k6100 ke kea kau kôl00 closed ... ... kot kāt kõtkát kot kàt kòt kat
Special Modifications with Pinal Consonants.
A. - Surds being initial.
(a) With final k. open ... ... ka kå k i kê
k8100 closed by k ... kák kàik kik kak, kik kaik
(6) With final ng. open ... ... kā kâ ki ké k6100 closed by ng ... kang kàing king kang, king kaing
(c) With final w. open ... ... ki kekau k6100 closed by w ... ko kā ko ka
(d) With final a (deep guttural sound). open ... ... kā
... kau closed by a ... kô ká
B. - Bonants being initial.
(a) With final k. open ... ... kā kê ki ké k8100 closed by k ... kaak kaikkik kåk, kik kuk
(6) With final ng. open ... ... kā kaki ke k 100 closed by ng ... kāang kaing king kang, king kung
Besides all this, there are irregularities, recognised and dialectic, and the use of open vowels following sonants to express, in dissylables and compound words, short inherent , or slightly sounded inherent vowel, thus:
written kata: pronounced kõta; » gata :
k'ta, or kata. This inherent a, or slightly sounded inherent vowel, is also expressed by ten sets of ligatures !
The mark is used to show that vowels are long, and the mark that they are pronounced so. The English reader will comprehend the difference at onoo by considering to himself the difference between part and guard, frung and prude, neat and need, foak and rogue, aught and fraud, male and made, and so on.
* This è as in or has sharp stacesto sound. 10 This is written with the Burmese 8, but never wan open vowel, though it is founded me an open 8. 1 See Haswell, p. xii.
