XII.

OBSERVATIONS on the ALPHABETICAL SYSTEM

OF THE

LANGUAGE OF AWA and RAC'HAIN.*

THE

By CAPTAIN JOHN TOWERS.

HE annexed Plate † is a Specimen of the Alphabet of the Language of Awă and Răc'hain, agreeably to the Arrangement adopted by the Brăimmas and Mărămăs, or Natives of those Kingdoms.

To avoid tedious and perplexing reference, it was thought adviseable to place under each fymbol its characteristic representative in Roman letters. In doing this, more than common attention has been paid to preserve the notation laid down in the elegant and perfpicuous" Syftem and Differtation on the Orthography of Afiatick Words in Roman Letters, commencing the First Volume of the Researches of the Society; at leaft, as far as its typical arrangement correfponded with the fyftem under difcuffion; and where a variation rendered it neceffary, new combinations or fymbols have been introduced, and obfervations fubjoined for their elucidation.

The abecedary rules, as taught by the natives, are, in their aggregate capacity, called Sanbun, or, The Syftem of Inftruction. They are claffed under three

* Ava and Aracan.

+ Plate I.

diftinct

diftinct heads; and these again divided into thirty fubordinate divifions, by the inflexion of the primary letters, or alphabet properly fo called, with the three claffes of vowels ărwi, ăsăitne, and ăsăitcri, and four other marks. The inftruction commences, however, with eighteen founds, to prepare the pupil, as it is faid, for the greater difficulties that are to follow. These founds are included in what is taught fubfequently, though ten of their fymbols are not, which are therefore fubjoined in the annexed Plate.

I..

Of the several feries as they occur in the Plate, the firft is cagric'he, or the alphabet; respecting which there is little to obferve. In certain cafes, to facili tate utterance, c is permuted with g, ch with j; the fecond d with the fecond t, p with b, and converfely. Of thofe founds that have more than one fymbol, the firft c'h, ch'h, l; fecond t, d, n; and third t'h, are in general ufe; alfo the fecond p'h; except in those inftances where it does not affociate with the four marks that will appear under the following head.

II.

These are the four marks alluded to above. Their names, as they occur in the Plate, are ăpăn, ărăit; hnach'hwe, hmach'hwe, &c. according to the letter it is affociated with, and wăch'hwe.

The mark of this fymbol is y; though it might more properly, and fometimes more conveniently, be marked by our third vowel, commencing a diphthong. The letters to which it is affixed, are c, c'h, (1,*) g, t, (2,) Pɔ p'h, (1,) b, m, l, (1,) s. To this laft it gives nearly

*The figures refer to the archetype in the Plate.

nearly the found of our fh; which notation it is neceffary to preferve, though probably not comformable to the strict rules of analogy. Poffibly the conftituent parts of this found are the palatial fibilant, and i, coalefcing with a following vowel.

Arărit.

This mark is typified by r, and is always prefixed to the letters with which it affociates. These are, c, c'h, (1 ;) g, ǹ, ch'h, (1 ;) t, (2;) p, p'h, (1;) b, m. With ch'h it forms a very harfh combination. But it is to be obferved, that it is the nature of this, as well as of all the marks, either feparately, or in their feveral combinations, to coalefce into one found with the afsociated letter as nearly as the organs of articulation will admit. Its name ărărit defignates its natural form, meaning erect or upright.

Hmăch'hwe.

This extraordinary mark forms a new clafs of afpirates. Its name fignifies fufpended, from its fituation with refpect to the letter. The letters under which it is placed, are n, ny, n, (2;) m, r, l, (1;) w, s; before the first feven of which its type is h.*s it hardens into z, the appropriate fymbol; or adds a fyllable to the inherent vowel, as fami, a daughter, which may be either written with the mark before us, or by m.t In the introductory part to the Syftem, it fays, "when the breath is obftructed by the preffure of the tongue, (against the roots of the upper teeth, or probably against the palate,) and forced between the teeth on VOL. V. either

K

* The aspirate so evidently precedes the letter in pronunciation, that, however inclination may lead to make the symbol follow the letter, as is usual in the other aspirates, in this instance it cannot be done without an offensive violation of all analogy.

+ See Plate I. a.

That commences the first volume of the Researches of the So. ciety. For the sake of brevity, it will be quoted throughout by this title.

either fide of it, a liquid is formed peculiar to the British dialect of the Celtick.' We have found, however, this very found in the mark before us when affociated with . If this be the found reprefented by ll, as in the common furname Lloyd, the notation is but ill-fuited to give an idea of its powers. In the combination of this mark with ăpan, the only letters of affociation are m and 7; and with ărăit, n and m ; the fymbol being formed, as in the original, of the component parts.

Wach'hwe,

or the fufpended w, is fubtended to every letter, excepting that with which it correfponds in the alphabet. Its fymbol is w, but fubject to certain changes and fuppreffion, the particular inftances of which will appear when the vowels come to be treated of.. This mark with the letter h, and the one immediately preceding with the letter w, form two combinations for the fame found; which is that of wh in the word what. In its affociations with the other marks, it is governed by the fame rules, and governs the fame letters as already related under their separate and combined forms; with an exception, however, to its homogeneous character in the alphabet. With apān, and ǎpān hmăch'hwe and hlach'hwe, we have the genuine found of our third vowel forming a diphthong with the fifth ; as miuwă, hmiuwă, hliuwă; the diphthong in these inftances having precifely the fame found as in our word lieu; but, to preserve the notation here laid down, it must be typified by y, as mywă, hmywa, hlywă; though it might more properly be reprefented by its conftituent parts, as in the firft example.

3, 4, 5.

Thefe are the three feries of vowels and nafal marks. The firft is called ărwi, or written, fimply ;* the fe

* A letter is also said to be ǎrwi when uninflected.

cond

cond afǎitne, from the root fait, to ftrike, (owing to the mark ǎfăit or tănc'hwain, that is ftruck in writing from the top of the final letter,) and ne, fmall; and the third ǎfăitcri, from the fame, and cri, large, great, in confequence of the proportion of the first feries that is ingrafted into it being more than in the fecond.

The alphabet, in its feveral affociations with ăpăn, ărăit, hnach'hwe, and wach'hwe, is, with only one exception, uniformly inflected throughout with the three feries of vowels and nafal marks in regular rotation as they occur in the Plate. The inftance to the contrary is wach'hwe, which is altogether excluded in the alphabetical inflection of åsăitcri.

Except as a compound, the firft vocal found, as described in the Syftem, has no place in the language before us. And there is yet a more ftriking fingularity; which is, that every fyllable is liquid, as it were, in its termination, each letter having its peculiar vowel, or nafal mark, fubjoined, and in no inftance coalefcing with a following letter. But, to elucidate it by inftances from our own language: were a native of Ava, or Aracan, merely acquainted with the Roman letters, and that fuch and fuch fymbols reprefented fuch and fuch founds, without knowing their rules of affociation, to read the words book, boot, bull, he would, agreeably to the powers he is taught to affix to the characters of his own language, pronounce them uniformly bù, or bùcă, bùtă, bùlă, refpectively. And he could not poffibly do otherwife; the organs of articulation being inadequate to give utterance to the final letters according to the abrupt mode by which we are inftructed to terminate those words. It need fcarcely be observed, that hence each letter of the alphabet properly fo called, is used as a fyllabic initial, and never as a medial or final, if we except the nafals. But here we only speak as far as pronunciation is concerned. There is reafon to fuppofe that this fingularity is