On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c8.40
On the Origin of the Indian Brāhma Alphabet c8.40
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c8.40
No 8. With respect to the representative of the *Cheth* I differ from all my predecessors. The Aramaic letter, such as it is found in the Saqqārah inscription (Col. I, a—c), in Teima and various other documents¹ is exactly the same as the Kharoṣṭhī palatal sibilant *śa*. The pronunciation of the Indian *śa* comes very close to the German *ch* in *ich*, *lich* etc.,² and hence the utilisation of the otherwise redundant *Cheth* for the expression of *śa* appears to me perfectly regular and normal.