On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c7.s3.47

c7.s3.47

[86] It would thus seem that a not inconsiderable interval must lie between the first importation of the Semitic letters and the complete elaboration of the Brāhma alphabet. First the imported characters remained in the hands of the traders and the men of business, during which period, as perhaps may be inferred from the treatment of the Arabic letters during the Mahommedan period, none or very slight modifications were introduced. Next came the transference of the foreign invention to the Brahmans and finally its adaptation to the wants of the Sanskrit language.