Re: "~NH" in Sinhalese Pali Orthography

Dear Ole,

> The use of /.n/ raises some interesting questions about early Pali
> orthography. The use of /.n/ recorded in ms.s is often confusing and
> seemingly erratic. Kacc records /.n/ as one of letters of Pali, so
> it must have been part of the orthographical system used to render
> the canon at the time of composition of Kacc. However, there is no
> trace of /.l/ in the  rules, although it is occasionally found in
the
> canon. The rules invariably use /l/ in contrast to Kacc-v that
> introduces /.l/ instead. They were evidently composed when the
> system of writing used to reproduce the canonical texts were not in
> use. This is historically interesting.

Some versions of Kc 616 (dahassa do .la.m) have /.la.m/ in it but,
interestingly, the 1895 Sinhalese edition of the
Kaccaayanasuttapaa.tha that Ven. Nyanatusita recently sent us has
/la.m/ (under 613). However, I think it would be hard to prove which
reading is historically older. Also, if /.l/ were absent at the time
the grammar was first composed what letter would have taken its place
in the set of 41?

Best wishes,
Jim

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