On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c8.30

c8.30

These tendencies required two Aramaic letters, *Lamed*, (No 11, I and III) and *Shin* (No 19, I and III) to be turned topsy-turvy, and caused in the Shin the development of a long vertical out of the short central stroke, as well as mutilations of some other signs. And it would seem that the aversion against appendages at the foot is probably due to the desire to keep the lower ends of the *mātṛkās* free for the addition of the medial *u*, the Anusvāra and the *ra*-strokes which are ordinarily added here, while the top lines were kept free from transverse or pendant lines on account of the signs for medial *i*, *e* and *o*. Some other changes, such as turnings from the right to the left, have been made in order to avoid collisions with other signs, while again other modifi- [53] cations are purely cursive or due to considerations of convenience in writing.