Page:An introduction to Dravidian philology.djvu/107

Rh of the Dravidian languages The Tamil system of signs, even though supplemented by Grantha characters is still very defective. Similarly with the other Dravidian systems, of characters Viz., Telugu and Malayalam The Telugu alphabet, for instance although generally phonetic, still reequiresrequires [sic] some additions. There are also some letters in it which do not exactly represent their phonetic values as e. g., (na)  (ksha) హ్మ​ (hma) etc. Moreover, we have to be in touch with the European philologists, seek their co-operation and be comparing notes with them. It will have, therefore, to be considered if the international phonetic script with the necessary modifications and diacritical marks may not advantageously be adopted. But a phonetic transcription alone does not lead us far in the representation of the spoken sound. It should also be supplemented by a system of signs