Page:A Grammar of the Telugu language.djvu/54

36 nace వలశిన​ valasina, must, ought అలుగు alugu a spear head &c. are pronounced as here written: though they are written thus తిర్గి tirgi తర్వాత​ tarvata వెన్క​ venka కొల్మి colmi వలశ్ని valasni, and అల్గు.

About forty very common words as తర్వాత​ tarvata afterwards దివి divi dated, or on the day. చొప్పున​ çoppuna according to and several Hindustani words as mauze a town, marifat by the hands of are contracted by writing the first letters thus తీ॥ ది॥ చొ॥ మం॥ మూ॥

In poetry it is customary to designate metres in the same manner. Thus క​॥ సీ॥ గీ॥ ఆ॥ తె॥ ఉ॥ చ​॥ శా॥ మ​॥ denote the metres called కందం, గీతి, ఆటవెలది, తేటగీతి, ఉత్పలమాల, చంపకపాల​​, శార్దూల​, మత్తేఛ​ and వ​​॥ stands for పచనం i. e. prose which (as in Lalla Rookh) is mingled with verse. The letter వు vu and even వృ will often be found written by mistake for ఉ॥ i. e. Utpalamala. It is needless to add in this place further details regarding metres; which are considered in the chapter on prosody.

In common letters and mercantile accounts peculiar contractions occur: such as ఖ​॥ for ఖండి i. e. వుట్టి which means the Candy or Indian ton: also గ​ which (with గ​గ​) denotes the coin called a pagoda; and రూ which is a contraction for రూపాయలు Rupees. In the heading of letters also రారా is used for the honorific phrase రాజమాన్యరాజవూజితులైన​. The days of the week are contracted by writing only the first syllable: thus గు॥ signifies గురువారం Thursday: and the sign బ​॥ and శు॥ are used to denote చహుళం the wane or dark fortnight; the light