On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c7.s3.37

c7.s3.37

There are also very good reasons for alleging that an Indian alphabet, elaborated by traders or other men of business, clerks and accountants, would never have possessed a single medial vowel. For until a very recent period, within the last fifty years, the Indian traders never used any medial vowels in their books or in their correspondence. Almost every child in Gujarāt knows the story of the letter,¹ sent by a Vāṇio to his relatives, which caused great grief and lamentation owing to the want of the vowel signs. The letter, it is said, contained the following passage: **कक अजमर गय अन कक कट छ ॥** On seeing it, the recipients at once began to lament loudly. They interpreted it to mean:—**काको आज मरी गयो अने काकी कूटे छे** “Uncle died to-day and aunt beats her breast.” A sympathising neighbour inquired for the cause of the wailing. On being shown the letter, he remarked that the outside did not bear the usual superscription of announcements of deaths, viz. “Strip and [84] read”,² and he suggested that the missive might be read:—**काको अजमीर गयो अने काकी कोट छे** “Uncle has gone to Ajmīr and aunt is at Koṭ.” On further enquiry this proved to be correct.