The Script of Harappa and Mohenjodaro and its Connection with Other Scripts c10.s41.1

c10.s41.1

With regard to the first five signs in Col. IV. The key sequence )R shows that the third and fourth are identical. The presence of one or two horizontal bars in the sign is therefore immaterial. Signs 1-3 may therefore be regarded as identical. Now this group can be linked up with sign 5, though doubtfully, through the sequence XR, ⋈R. If we now consider Col. IV of Table LVII, we may admit the possibility of the third sign of Col. IV being the prototype, from which were evolved ⋔ (found only in Susa) ⋔ , ⋔ and ⋔ of this sign having a phonetic value containing a vowel other than a; and of H, H , H being derived from this sign by dropping the interior perpendicular strokes (originally two of the quadruped's legs) to serve as a sign for a word with the same consonantal element as ⋔ but with the vowel a. This assumes that the base form represents a syllable containing a liquid vowel. Such a device could of course only arise among a people familiar with the principle of modifying a syllables to form i, e, u syllables by the addition of perpendicular strokes.