Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/1021

 VII.] BENGALI LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. 975 to this rule. When * is joined with 4, a, 4 it is pronounced as ¥, as in Wal, $A and AY; Similarly when ¥ is joined with ত, থ, ন, বর, খ 1 retains its Sanskritic sound of স 9511) শব, স্থান, অকৃ, সৃষ্টি, In all other places it is pronounced as *. The chapter on Case is full of original observations. In the dative case, says the Raja, those words which bear the long vowel 4] in the last letter adopt ¢S or 4 as suffix. But those words which have 8, &, &, 8, 4, 2, 8, © in their last letters adopt only ¢S to denote the locative form. Instances of the former are to be found in the forms মুন্তিকাতে and মুত্তিকায়, থালা তে ৪00 থালায়, শয্যাতে and Fata etc., and of the latter in ছুরিতে, হাতীতে, রজনীতে ০০, Regarding the forms of Bengali words in singular and plural numbers, the learned author gives curious rules which are nevertheless correct and testify to his accurate observation. The suffixes #fa, 74 etc., are generally adopted to indicate the plural num- ber; in the case of men and higher beings the suffix 4 is often used, and it is generally speaking restricted to them only; when however the suffix @zis used in the case of lower animals it is implied that such words do no longer signify them; for instance TF ASA means cows, but গরুর1 15 05০ to imply those men who are stupid as cows.* Before we close the account of Raja Rama Mohan Roy we have to say a few words regarding the movement led by him for the abolition of Suttee. His Bengali pamphlets against Suttee The were translated by him into English; and they Suttee. aim chiefly at establishing the superiority of an
 * Bengali works of Raja Rama Mohana Roy. Page 733.