while I'w a s stationed -at Colombo-; dhilbein^-aojcjaaiom with the
King of the Maidive Islaiids (to, send an ambassador: yearly yd th
presents' t ^ o u r ^dvefn&h at ^teyloxi, vxin tteiigiintaiii a
feiendly ;understanding:*withj.;Tiso{j;The,,Maldiyia^siti3£rh}| .rietiiine
both iifi shape^ and habit, approached i much nearer
4a, tbe; (5eyteB©se'1ihan :to any of^ the . Malabari; n*$:ets / and thpjy
language appeared to me to. follow. .the same rule. f§g
There, are in fact two dialects ,b£ dhe. Gpylpijp§,e . language,
differing very considerably from each -other, andi haying each; a
separate grammar. The poetic .©Eicourt language; isf also | styled
the Candian Sanscrit, or more; properly the Paw/ee,, or Mangada.
This -dialect,- which is retained in i those; -.pants*n#J} ^ e l ^p^rijM
where the language may be supposed to b e . presgiycd/in its
greatest purity, contains a considerable., mixture pf Arabic, and
is accounted the most elegant as .welt as the most smooth..and'
sonorous.^ The learned will judge of,,the inference Aq. b er drawn
from the Arabic forming so considerable a ; pq^tipri pfj. .t^e
Ceylonese .' language in those parts where. I%hip spoken in .its
Original purity. The current opinion among th e 4 n a tiy o ^ > ^ |^ t
Arabic is their original language,, an d . th a t -sOme^niixtyre ofithe
Sanscrit was introduced b y a colony who came ©y^hy, Adames
bridge froin th e continent.of India. , Among.:the;Cinglgsg Q%lhe-
coasts/ the vulgar dialect, distinguished by the narrie o f .the
XBnglesei is spoken: it lias been greatly (corrupted’ by the introduction
of, foreign words, and that jnejody sand force,' whiclir.j^e
attributed iOf the language' of the interior, are hefe no longer
discernible.- I f I may judge from the impression made upon me
during my residence on the island the Cinglese spoken on the
coasts is much inferior to any of the other Indian languages
which I have heard.
&
alFdbi nations, is found no where id
g?^ter! 'inf ;thfe 'island icA^eylbnlr There is -'herd
& ' d e s f t e l k f e d f i t i i n ^ l ! , '#ith :#hich; the phraseology
't^ii^erso;%addtessa
Tte-p j& IKS-, impropriety
^ hJ$K% man= bah he'dgfeffiftjjff 1 'of more STsfepaudouabteoin
P P P 1 rnatf -Mpferidri dw. h b g a a ^ J tBrat*^is>‘ dnl^r
.yBtpgefe* p»EmQncMtibi»Vnf
agaM-hdif i$hfe
dohdhtnd* loh^ J^S6enbfori liiej3liblieli*dilmg
.tic ye Or ah] which
bf. dSfieif ’wo4.i§lTI >J
"f^TWe1 ^ d fe ^ ih e ^ lM ^ ig g # ii?b#o/harsh/ and cfoagrebatojle! to^an
Kdrepe&^that^filv WrtM bode > l &?efr > attempt >. to speak i t ; Ufa dtf iftab
dhhd Mt ^aS P& ^ ^w a iSsBMBfe (^ eefeo feith eu r^^srfts^fcklfio'nedt
liereJd)avdJd5ttfe©SppO,rtiffifty7^'ttdd liMeliorieasionii toilAekch
lh /®w (df done 'ofJ^ # ^ i ^ d S ^ f £thg^isladdnbHt ^toilitvei sdinh
othfef ’ SoEfttfdittle Jffiiab-
^ t ln § ! o f sttfe Moor ahd! Malabar*tenguagd fesetihbdss^jlttdnfeb
^ tb 'S p ia^ to ^ teS blafek sefthiiti? ofi-flfe,t(>ld^dMpti®ifi hFhfe
ld\rlPb^th|^bM' is the universal language spoken
Cihgfesb' in enir'Setttehients, dttd-ihS^dnaift^ii^toalJj'fhiakflti’lev
who ha^e dh^^dhrerdbhf^ :>oP3'MndS5Hofii'lrith ®tt^op@ins^land
it Ik a l^ ^ b fc e n ^ b y !tt e ®Md©!£%,nlI MadashaSi-Mryiin&hi
^Thby* 'divide their 'dJfhedifeatflyws ^ <do /b )r^ -thfelniye^rjcotah
ihehces ’ W ;iffidiTWefll^«Mgffi!h> w - Mak^i.iATh&f «aandeedn which