Page:An introduction to Dravidian philology.djvu/112

Rh found in the Dravidian languages themselves. If, on the other hand, we study it from the standpoint of, say, Telugu or Canarese which preserve the fuller forms, a clue may be found for the ultimate affiliation of the Dravidian languages: Standing on the deck of the leaky Tamil ship in the uncharted sea of Indian languages, looking out from the wrong end of the philological telescope, Caldwell had his vision blurred with respect to the linguistic harbours near about, he lost all his moorings, and getting up on to the top of the mast, though he perceived in the distant Scythian country a possible goal for his difficult voyage May it not be that a harbour can be found nearer home, where we can rest a while to take in fresh coal and start afresh on a journey to more distant lands?

I have tried so far to present the salient features of the problem of