Page:Tamil studies.djvu/159

132 inscription prior to A. D. 1050. The letters L, 4, 6, w, w and y had no angles on either side, because each of them had only a curve at the bottom like (, 3,°, wa and so. In the Vatteluttu the vowel 2, 2 was half a Q, and i was a w with an inner dot; uis simply another form of a. Hence 2, 4, 2, and w are almost alike both in form and sound.

So much for the form of Tamil letters. Let us now take their number, order, and pronunciation. There are thirty-one letters ; twelve vowels and eighteen consonants and one semi-vowel. Tolkapyar adds to these the shortened and e making them thirty-three. As there are no separate signs to exa press these two sounds, the number of Tamil letters should be taken as only thirty-one, Of the twelve vowels, 3, 2, 2, 6, P, are short (solo) and %,, 24, W, P, and for are long (Q164260); strictly speaking 2 and go are not long vowels but only diphihongs or சந்தியக்கரம் ; and they may be represented by அ + இ or

of+ù and 9+2 or + go. The letters 94, 9 and 2 are called primary vowels, hence they are placed first with their cognate long sounds. 6, 6 and 2, ?, P and por are considered in Sanskrit secondary or compound vowels formed by the union of g and @and g and e respectively. With this compare the exam ple, நா + இந்திரன்=நரேந்திரன் ; நர+உத்தமன்=நரோத் GL. It will thus be seen that there are no short 6 and a in Sanskrit. The arrangement of Vowels in Tamil is, therefore, exactly after the Sanskrit model. There are eighteen consonants in Tamil. Of these