Obtención y validación experimental de modelos estructurales de GLYT1 y GLYT2 por homología con el transportador bacteriano de leucina, LeuTAa

Grammarians. 1 Anyway, the present order of the letters of the Brahml alphabet was definitely the result of their phonetic researches. 1 The Indian alphabet is a marvellous and magni-ficient phenomenon, quite unrivalled in the w orld. 1 2 *Bold, simple, grand,complete, the characters are easy to remember, facile to read and difficult to mistake, representing with absolute precision the graduated niceties of sound which the phonetic analysis of Sanskrit grammarians had discovered in that marvellous idiom. None of the artificial alphabets which have been proposed by modern phonologists excel it in delicacy, ingenuity, exactitude and comprehansiveness1. No doubt, the arrangement of letters, which represents a

symmetrical combination of symbols designed to indicate

various shades of sound which are grouped together, is unique in the world. The cerebral letters, aspirate consonants,

anusvara and anunasika, the three sibilants are some of the

— — -- —

---special features that led the scholars to infer that such a

1. Buehler: Indian Palaeography (I.A.,Vol.XXXIII-1904*Appendix]

p. 4*17; Jayswal: JBORS, Vol.VI,p.197; Taylor: The Alphabet, Vol. II,p.289; R.N.Cust: JRAS (New Series),V o l .XVI(T5&4)”,

p. 326; Dowdon: J R A S , Vol.XIII (1881)(New Series),p.102-20, Cunningham: Inscriptions of Asoka, p. 53, 60 ; amd many

o t he r s .

2. Oust : JRAS (New Series),Vol. XVI (1884),P*325*

3. Taylor: The Alphabet, Vol. II, p.289*

perfect system could only t>e possible through, the * skilled grammarians1, who were the masters of phonetics. But until now no attempt has been made to show how far these geniuses of the past, who evolved the most scientific grammar of the world, were responsible for giving the shapes of the lettersf and how much the Brahml script owes to them. In the following lines an endeavour is made to point omt certain noteworthy features of Brahmi which are seemingly evolved on the basis of the rules of Sanskrit phonetics.

When the Brahml letters are closely examined, we notice an evolution from the archaic forms of the alphabet;

and a distinction between the basic and evolved forms is easily traceable. The method employed in their evolution is more distinct in vowels than the consonants. Let us take first the vowel signs. It is to be noted that the vowel signs represent the Sanskrit grammatical rules of Vriddhi

and G-una Sandhis. The application of these rules eventually gave rise to other vowel signs.

The shapes of A - ^ , I - * . , and U- L- are the basic forms from which the other vowel signs , viz. A- l- ' ; , U- C , E- , Ai- "P , ^{0- L » An- and}

were evolved. The letter is the lengthened A , which

is indicated by a horizontal dash attached to its right. This horizontal dash is an addition to the previous simple form

of the letter, A similar method is applied in indicating the long r in which the lengthening is shown by adding another dot thus - * * In long U (u + u = u ), the lengthening is expressed by an extra horizontal stroke in U showing a

combination of two Us, i.e. - L + L* “

b

According to Sanskrit grammar, A followed by 1 produces the G-una E ; when followed by TJ , it produces 0 (Aden gunah) . This formula is perfectly expressed in the adoption of the signs of these letters. In the shape of E- p> * which is A + (>i + *' • = ^ ) the three strokes of the

letter A are adapted to the three dots of I_ to produce a

new letter E - £> . The G-una relation of 0 ( A or A + U * 0) in symbol is represented similarly. The medial sign for A

is a small horizontal dash [ - ] and when it is added to the sign of U - L* , it becomes 0 - ). But it should be observed that the medial sign of A should be placed to the right of a letter, whereas in this case it goes to the left. The reason for this feature Is obvious, since we have another letter , which has the same shape with a dash attached to the right in U - t . It was therefore necessary that this dash in 0 should go to' the left rather than to the right.

^ke V3?:icl(ih:L form Ai. is shown by adding an extra

existed before the alphabet was perfected by the grammarians.

A good number of consonants appear to have heen adopted in their primary forms; but later evolved shapes are also

distinguishable, in which deliberate design can be noticed.

In the Kavarga (Gutturals), the letter K a ~ a n d G-ha-appear to be original; while there exists some similarity

between Kha- and Ga- /\ , although which is the derivative

In the Gavarga (palatals), the letter Gha- 0 is obviously an evolution from Ga - 4 , in* which c+c ( |! + <j “ (!) ) is shown* The letter Ja - seems to be primary; while of Jha- and R a- |-j , the latter seems to havd derived its shape from the former.

As regards the Tavarga or Linguals, the letter Ta- maintains a basic shape from which the letter Tha- Q is

developed. Again, Da id a basic form which gives rise to pha - and Ra - The form of Na -*T" is probably

derived from Na - X , a corresponding nasal letter of the dental group.

The letter Ta of the Tavarga or Dental group

possesses an independent shape - A ; while the letter T h a , being very similar in sound to Tha , adopts the same shape with the addition of a dot thus - (*) . The letter Da seems to be of basic shape - , from which the form of Dha

develops when the two vertical lines of Da fill up the vacant space - |J . The last letter of this group, Na - JL ? seems to be the basic letter which gives rise of Na.

In the Pavarga (Labials) , P a maintains the basic shape - |j , from which Pha- (3 is developed. The letter

33a is a square - U , which might he explained as two Pas of angular form placed one upon &he other. But most likely it has an independent shape. A remote similarity can he traced between 33a -

D

The semi-vowels, Y a - , R a - f , La-nJ and Va-^4 take independent shapes and probably existed in the primary alphabet, since no direct affinity can be established

between them. Of the sibilants, Jia - cannot be related to the other two, Sa and Sa ; and hence is an independent formation. But ga - is clearly developed from Sa - . The shape of Ha - * though like a reversed la - ij , seems to have an independent origin.

The letters may be divided thus :

1. Allan : Catalogue of the coins of Ancient India, Introduc tion, pp. xvi - xvii.