Dec.3] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY. [1889.originalwithinitialG. In dealing withthe letters y and J, I have
alreadyshown thatChinesetermswith thesesoundsas initials cor
respondto Accadian termswithan initial G (M, N, D, Z). In what
follows,it will becomeabundantlyevidentthat,just as in Accadian
we find cognateswithinitial M answering to the G- forms ; so in
Chinesewe have wholeseriesof M- terms correspondingto those
whichoncehad initial G (riG).
TheletterW is not originally independentof M in Chinese. In
Accadianthereappearsto have beena fluctuation betweenthe two
sounds, and the transition from oneto the other was easy. In
Assyrian,an Accadian M may becomefirstW, and then a mere
breathing: e.g., Domu-zi= Duwuzi = Du'uzu, Duzu,Tammuz. In
Chinesewe find duplicatesof the M-words under W ; thus, ma,
" frog," andwa," frog " ; min, " frogs." In the Cantonese wa (ma)
and nga (ga), whichanswerto the Mandarin 7va, we see an evident
traceof that transition fromthe guttural to the labial whichis so
markeda feature of Accadian phonology.
- The Accadian ma, nab&,"toname, call"; MU,zakaru,"to
speak";ma, uv,!umu, zikru,"name";me, qalu, "to cry out"; qUIu,
" cry," answernot only to Chinese ma, "to rail at, scold" (oldsound,
ma, mak); mat," to brag, speakangrily"(mai,ma, mat); mang{m\ir\g\
"a jargon of dialects and sounds"(=Ace. gugu, "to speak");
tnuh(mot,mok)," to designate," " to name " (Fuhchau muk,Chifu
mu) ; ming, (mang,ming)Swatowmeng,mia," a name," " to name " ;
#«' (mit), "torepeat";mi, "to speakquietlyin a low tone";wu
(underMU)," the parrot, as a talking bird" ; mu (mu, mot,mok),
"to call upon the people to do," "toinvite"; ming, "the cry of a
birdor animal," "tosound" ; mm (miu, mok),"extravagantwords
of a madman " (Chifu niu=nyu= ngu = gu, " to speak ") ; meu, " to
low,""tobellow"(=gu);moh, "tospeak erroneously";mu, mo,
"consultation." TheseAccadiantermsalsorepresentwa ( = ma),
" wanton, enticingsounds,"" to wheedle, coax" ; wa, " the prattle
of children" ; wan, " verbose" (wan, ngwan,man); wan, " to tell to,"
"a noise" (wen, men, miin, won); wan, "the lips"; "speech,"
" talk " ; wang, (wungmung)," to scoff at," " accuse falsely" ; wang,
" incoherent words" ; " to talk without regardto facts " ; wang (wung
yungmuggug)," lowing of cattle " ; wei, " to say," " to declare "
(w6i,ngwdi, ngek, nget, mi, mit); wti,"toanswersmartly," "an
answer" ; wei, " the yelp of a terrified dog " ; wei, " to address,
inform,""tospeakto or report," "tosay, to speak of,""tocall,"
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