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INDIAN ANTIQUARY, VOL. XXXIII, 1904; APPENDIX:
[$ 4, A.
A. - Borrowed signs. No. 1, A, col. V, = Aleph, cols. I, IL (WEBER doubtfally), [13] turned from right to left except on the Patna seal (above, $ 3, and pl. II, 1, 1), with transposition of the vertical line to the end of the angle. - No. 2, ba, col. V, a, b, c, = Beth, cols. I, II (WEBER); the opening of the triangular top produced first a sign like that in col. IV, next the rhombus, col. V, a, and finally the square and the oblong, col. V, 5, o. - No. 3, ga, col. V, - Gimel, cols. I, II, No. 4, dha col. V, a, b, = Daleth, cols. I, II (WEBER), set up straight with rounded back (compare the halfangalar forms, pl. II, 26, IX, XIX, XXIII, and the triangular, pl. III, 24, VII-XIII), with or without the turn from right to left. - No. 5, ha, col. V, = H. (WEBER doubtfully), the Siddāpara form, col. V, a, being probably derived from the He of col. III, a (Mins of Salmanassar, before B. 0. 725), which was turned topsy-turvy and from right to left. The more similar He of the sixth century B. 0. (col. III, 6 ) cannot be the prototype, because it occurs in the period when the Brāhmi had been developed, and because then the Semitic Aleph, Daleth, Cheth, Theth, Waw, and Qoph bad become cursive and had been changed so much that they could no longer have produced the Indian forms, - No. 6, va, col. V, a, b, = Waw, col. II (WEBER doubtfully), turned topsy-turvy and with the lower end shut. - No. 7, ja, col. V, = Zain, cols. I, II (WEBRR); a displacement of the two bars produced the Drividi letter, col. V, a; from this was derived, the letter being made with one stroke of the pen, the ja of the northern Brāhmi, col. V, 6, with a loop, for which, owing to the use of ink, a dot was substituted in the ja of col. V, 0. The usual Girnār form, col. V, d, was also derived from the Dravida form, the letter being made with two strokes of the pen.
No. 8, gha, col. V, a, b, = Cheth, cols. I, II (TAYLOR), the Semitic sign being laid on its side, col. IV (on account of its often sloping position), and the upper horizontal bar being changed into a vertical. - No. 9, tha, col. V, = Theth, col. I (WEBER ), with the substitution of a dot for the cross in the centre, just as in the Assyrian letter, col. III. - No. 10, ya, col. V, = Yod (WEBER), the Yod of cols. I, II, being laid on its side, col. IV, the central stroke being lengthened; and, the pendant on the right being turned upwards, hence first the ya of col. V, 4, and later the cursive forms in col. V, b, c. - No. 11, ka, col. V, a, b, = Kaph, the upper side-bar of a form like that in col. II. having been converted into the top of the vertical, and the sign being then set up straight. - No. 12, la, col. V, = Lamed, cols. I, II (WEBER), preserved in its original position in the slightly differentiated of the Dravidi, col. VI (see below, B, 4, c), and in the Eran form, col. IV, with the Serif on the top of the carve, turned from right to left in the usual form of the Asoka edicts, col. V, a, and turned with a tail on the right, but without the Serif, in the Drāviņi l, col. V, b. - No. 13, ma, col; V, = Mem (WEBER), derived from a form like that in col. II, with the change of the bent pendant into a loop, as in the hypothetical form in col. IV (analogous development in Euting, TSA. col. 58, a), and with superposition of the angle on the loop, col. V, a (analogous development in Euting, TSA. col. 59, c), whence the cursive forra with semicircle at the top in ool. V, 6.- No. 14, na, col. V, = Nun (TAYLOR), the Nin in cols. I, II, being turned topsy-turvy as in col. IV, and the hook at the foot being converted into a straight stroke, for which development the na, col. VI, a, formed out of the hypothetical sign by a regularisation of the hook and the addition of a differentiating bar at the top (see below B, 4, d), appears to be a witness.
No. 15. sa, sa, cols. V, IV, Samelch (WEBER doubtfully); a Samekh like that of col. I, 6, being made cursive by the Hindus, as shown in col. IV, and turned topsy-turvy, [14] whereby the Dravida s, col. V, was obtained, which originally served both for and . Later, this sign was divided into the signs for the etymologically connected sa and șu. By transferring the cross-bar to the outside of the curve, arose the sa of the southern Brühmi in col. VI, 4, and (turned round) that in col. VI, 6, while the removal of the bar to the inside of the curve produced the sa of the same script, col. VI, c. The Drūvidi adopted the new sa for its , and retained the old sigu for . The northern Brāhmi developed out of the southern sa that with
