The Script of Harappa and Mohenjodaro and its Connection with Other Scripts c10.s12.18

c10.s12.18

We now note another peculiarity. This double-fish word which like the single-fish word shows wide dialectal variations is found in the same relative position in the texts and in the same sequences as the single-fish word. This is best illustrated by Table XII, where we see the word 𝍖𝍘 preceded 3 times by the double-fish word and 6 times by the single-fish word. And every time the fish or double-fish is initial (or quasi-initial). Similarly we find 𝍙 suffixed to the single-fish word 16, to the double 6 times; compare also the occurrences of the two words with 𝍚𝍛, 𝍜𝍝 . In fact among the 33 signs which are found immediately before or after the double-fish word the only ones that are not found in the same relation with the single-fish word are 𝍞, 𝍟, 𝍠, 𝍡, 𝍢 and 𝍣 . The remainder are not only found, but found repeatedly. The evidence then is very strong that the single-fish word and double-fish word are identical. In fact the latter may be regarded as a spelling out of the former. We have then the following ways of writing this word, the phonetic relationship of which I have endeavoured to suggest by transliteration. The consonant 'b' is of course selected arbitrarily; the allocation of the given vowels to any particular variety of 'fish' is believed to be exact, for reasons that will be discussed later.