Page:An introduction to Dravidian philology.djvu/223

Rh through the Vedic and the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. Prakritic stages down to the modern Aryan vernaculars, I have given an account of the Paisaci and Apabhramsa dialects which, I said, afford is the best clue to the history of the Dravidian languages and met the main arguments of Caldwell disproving & Sanskritic affiliation by referring to affinities in the modern Gaudian languages, I hope I have made you sufficiently perceive how, in very many details, there is such a close resemblance in the general features of the Prak. and the Drav languages, and realise that a minuter investigation in this direction will bear fruitful results. Indeed it seems to me impossible to conceive that possessing as they do, so many, common features with the Prakrit languages, the Dravidian idioms could be considered as other than Prakrits, for, otherwise, we have to postulate that the Prakrits have been com-