Nov.5] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY. [1889.Gi, GIN {qanti), "a reed." , yik, "a dart" ; yoh, "a musical
reed";yin, "a long spear,or
pointedweapon."
(gis)kan-na (gana&? gana? yin, "a seal."
kunukku),"a seal."
6u (isstiru), "a bird," "winged yii,"wings"; yi\ " wings."
thing,"volucris,to ircTeivov.
GA (ndnu), " a fish." yii, " fish."
6u, 6fc (t^E basil)," to be." yu, " to be."
Having obtainedsimilar resultsfromthe comparison of eight
otherinitial consonants,b, d, k, p, t, 1, m, n, §, s, I thought I might
venture to lay the whole before Professor R. K. Douglas, of the
BritishMuseum. I was especially anxiousto know whereto find the
olderformsof the Chinese language,as it was obviousthat,if my
theoryof an earlier g in place of the Mandarin y could be supported
by the history of the language, the above comparisonswouldbe all
the more secure. Professor Douglasgave me every possible en
couragement to continue my researches, and advised the use of
Dr. Samuel Wells Williams' great Syllabic Dictionary(Shanghai,
1874).*
To recur nowto the list of apparently commontermswhich I
havealreadyindicated; there wouldbe little difficultyin extending
the list to almost indefinitedimensions,especiallyif we have regard
to the older formsof the Chinese wordsas recorded in the native
dictionaries,andas preserved in the actual usageof the so-called
Chinese dialects, or rather cognatelanguages of Amoy, Canton,
Swatow,Fuhchau,Shanghai,andChifu,of which the first two appear
to have undergoneleast phoneticchange. Forinstance,gud, gu
(alpu,Mru,),is Accadian for "ox," "cow." Thiscorresponds to
- Afterwards I procured a dictionary of the Amoy vernacular,by the Rev.
CarstairsDouglas(London,Triibner,1873); a grammar and reading-book of the
Cantondialectby the Rev. W. Lobschekl (HongKong,1864); Du Ponceau on
ChineseWriting(Philadelphia,1838),whichincludesa lexicon of the Cochin
Chinese;StephanEndlicher'sAnfangsgriindedcr Chinesischen (jrammatik(Wien,
1845);Bayer'sMuseumSinicum(Petropoli,1730),and other works. Whenthis
paperwas alreadyat press,ProfessorDouglaskindlylent me Dr. Edkins' monograph
'TheEvolutionof the Chinese Language'(Triibners, 1888), in which I find
manyremarkablefactsthattell in favour of the views expressedin the text.
The' ChineseManual' of Professor Douglashas also been of the greatest service
to me, owingto the clear andhandyformin which it presents a multitude of
facts(London,1889).
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