Dear Rett,
Thank you very much.
A few questions.
op 15-12-2004 14:58 schreef rett op rett@...:

>
> Here, among the syllables, in the (list) beginning with the sound
> 'a', the eight which end with 'o' are called vowels. The following:
> a aa i ii u uu e o, are called vowels. What is the purpose of
> (defining the term) 'vowel'? There is ellision of a vowel before a
> vowel (Kc 12).

N: You spoke of the Indian alphabeth as very brilliant, and now I am
thinking of the system. I think when pronouncing aloud, it begins with what
is in the back of the throat, but I cannot quite make this our for e and o.
Also the conconats give me trouble. Ka, yes, but the others?
Some people have trouble with the alphabethical order in the dictionnary,
but it helps to know the why.

>

R: o-d-anta: The letter 'd' is optionally inserted between two vowels,

> to prevent their juxtaposition. This is in accordance with Kc 35,
> ya-va-ma-da-na-ta-ra-laa caagamo /35/ "And the (optional )insertion
> (aagamo) of y, v, m, d, n, t, r, l.

N: about aagamo, it gets interesting when we apply it. I give an example in
the Visuddhimagga Tiika, to XIV, 124, about the arahat who makes an end to
the cycle: yo pana arahatta.m paapunaati sammaapa.tipattimanvaayaati
adhippaayo: the meaning as regards who has accomplished arahatship, this is
the appropriate practice (sammaapa.tipattimanvaayaati).
When looking up the word manvaayaa, we get astray, the m is inserted. See,
it can help us not going wrong with the dictionnary.
It is good if others provide more examples, then we do not forget it. Warder
p. 215, 215 also gives examples. By the way, it is helpful if you also refer
to Warder now and then (as you did for the poetry) so that we can look it
up.
We had already kho attho> khvattho.
I do not know whether there are rules which of the ya-va-ma-da-na-ta-ra-laa
is inserted where? But we shall see in the payoga in the texts.
R: Text, suttas 4 and 5. These are pretty similar to 3 above, so perhaps

> you can translate them for yourself:

N: Yes, give us some homework.

lahumattaa tayo rassaa /4/
There are three short vowels,[ in the case of] short metrical quantity

tattha a.t.thasu saresu lahumattaa tayo rassaa naama honti /
in this context, among the eight vowels three, that are of short metrical
quantity, are named short.

ta.m yathaa a i u iti rassaa naama /
such as follows (ta.m yathaa), the a i u are thus called short

rassa iccanena kvattho / rassa.m //
this means here short
(Not sure about iccanena, from iti)

> aññe diighaa /5/

the others are long.

> tattha a.t.thasu saresu rassehi aññe pañca saraa diigha naama honti /

Here with regard to the eight vowels, the other five are called long.
( why a.t.thasu saresu rassehi ? )

> diigha iccanena kvattho / diigha.m //

thus here the meaning is long.
Nina.