Tubburaze, and infifted that it should thus be pronounced. Whether the natives of Semerkand, or Samarkand, who probably speak the dialect of Soghd with a Turanian pronunciation, call their birthplace, as DAVY fpelled it, Summurkund, I have yet to learn; but I cannot believe it, and am convinced, that the former mode of writing the word expreffes both the letters and the found of them better than any other combination of characters. His method, therefore, has every defect; fince it renders neither the original elements of words, nor the founds represented by them in Perfia, where alone we must seek for genuine Perfian, as for French in France, and for Italian in Italy. The fecond method has found two able fupporters in Mr. HALHED and Mr. WILKINS; to the first of whom the publick is indebted for a perfpicuous and ample grammar of the Bengal language, and to the fecond for more advantages in Indian literature than Europe, or India, can ever fufficiently acknowledge. Mr. HALHED, having juftly remarked, that the two greatest defects in the orthography of any language are the application of the fame letter to feveral different founds, and of different ⚫ letters to the fame found,' truly pronounces them both to be fo common in English, that he was exceedingly embarraffed in the choice of letters without any particular care to preservė the pronunciation; and, as long as this mode proceeds by unvaried rules, it feems clearly entitled to preference. For the firft method of writing Perfian words the warmest advocate, among my acquaintance, was the late Major DAVY, a Member of our Society, and a man of parts, whom the world loft prematurely at a time, when he was meditating a literary retirement, and hoping to pass the remainder of his life in domestick happiness, and in the cultivation of his very useful talents. He valued himself particularly on his pronunciation of the Perfian language, and on his new way of exhibiting it in our characters, which he inftructed the learned and amiable Editor of his Inftitutes of Timour at Oxford to retain with minute attention throughout his work. Where he had acquired his refined articulation of the Perfian, I never was informed; but it is evident, that he spells most proper names in a manner, which a native of Perfia, who could read our letters, would be unable to comprehend. For inftance that the capital of Azarbaijan is now called Tabriz, I know from the mouth of a person born in that city, as well as from other Iranians; and that it was fo called fixteen hundred years ago, we all know from the Geography of Ptolemy; yet Major DAVY always wrote it Tubburaze, and infifted that it should thus be pronounced. Whether the natives of Semerkand, or Samarkand, who probably speak the dialect of Soghd with a Turanian pronunciation, call their birthplace, as DAVY fpelled it, Summurkund, I have yet to learn; but I cannot believe it, and am convinced, that the former mode of writing the word expreffes both the letters and the found of them better than any other combination of characters. His method, therefore, has every defect; fince it renders neither the original elements of words, nor the founds represented by them in Perfia, where alone we must seek for genuine Perfian, as for French in France, and for Italian in Italy. The fecond method has found two able fupporters in Mr. HALHED and Mr. WILKINS; to the first of whom the publick is indebted for a perfpicuous and ample grammar of the Bengal language, and to the fecond for more advantages in Indian literature than Europe, or India, can ever fufficiently acknowledge. Mr. HALHED, having juftly remarked, that *the two greatest defects in the orthography of any language are the application of the fame ' letter to several different founds, and of different ⚫ letters to the fame found,' truly pronounces them both to be fo common in English, that he was exceedingly embarraffed in the choice of letters to exprefs the found of the Bengal vowels, and was at last by no means fatisfied with his own • felection.' If any thing diffatisfies me, in his clear and accurate fyftem, it is the use of double letters for the long vowels (which might however be juftified) and the frequent intermixture of Italick with Roman letters in the fame word which both in writing and printing must be very inconvenient: perhaps it may be added, that his diphthongs are not expreffed analogoufly to the founds, of which they are compofed. The system of Mr. WILKINS has been equally well confidered, and Mr. HALHED himself has indeed adopted it in his preface to the Compilation of Hindu Laws: it principally confifts of double letters to fignify our third and fifth vowels, and of the common profodial marks to afcertain their brevity or their length; but those marks are fo generally appropriated to books of profody, that they never fail to convey an idea of metre; nor, if either profodial sign were adopted, would both be neceffary; fince the omiffion of a long mark would evidently denote the shortness of the unmarked vowel, or conversely. On the whole, I cannot but approve this notation for Sanferit words, yet require fomething more univerfally expreffive of Afiatick letters: as it is perfect, however, in its kind, and will appear in the works of its learned inventor, I fhall an nex, among the examples, four diftichs from the Bhagawat expreffed both in his method and mine*: a translation of them will be produced on another occafion; but, in order to render this tract as complete as poffible, a fuller specimen of Sanferit will be fubjoined with the original printed in the characters of Bengal, into which the Brahmans of that province tranfpofe all their books, few of them being able to read the. Dé vanagari letters: fo far has their indolence prevailed over their piety! Let me now proceed, not prescribing rules for others, but explaining those which I have prescribed for myself, to unfold my own system. the convenience of which has been proved by, careful obfervation and long experience. It would be fuperfluous to difcourfe on the organs of fpeech, which have been a thousand times diffected, and as often defcribed by muficians or anatomifts; and the feveral powers of which every man may perceive either by the touch or by fight, if he will attentively obferve another perfon pronouncing the different claffes of letters, or pronounce them himself distinctly before a mirror: but a short analysis of articulate founds may be proper to introduce an examination of every separate symbol. * Plate IV, |