Maithili Orthography

so

BtHAEt.

Tabte "shnuing ihe various alphabets used in MstkUd.

Divundfarl

Kaithi.

Malthtli

EngUst

Tran.si\1er»-

tlon

Deva-nagan

Kail hi

■Mailhill.

English
lion

a

d

,, 1 ,„, ,. ••Ill

<

^

oT

i

3-

(f

I

/^

<

^

^

i

^

J

<5

At

y

\b

05

tt

3"

i

7

dha

5i

b

^

u

jyi

w

crT

TM

^

^

ft

ff

^

S

ta

^

7T

ri

TT

t4

ir

ttui

rr

^

■ Iri

^

K

■K

da

?r

<)

o

€

V

i4

^

dha.

^

:5

at

T

^

^

na

^

^n

n3

K

M

^

pa

^

i?ii

v>

an

^

54

>f

pha

^

v\

.>r

avi

^

<

3r

ba

^••

mi;

\>T-

ah

^

■fl

>5"

bha,

*

<=tl«"-y

^

U

TT

M

H

ma

^

Irl

V

kha

3r

K

ya*

n-

•>»

T

ga

T

'^

T

ra.

'IT

M

«r

gU

*?r

%

^

la

^■

b

>5-

■ na

^

q

^

vaar VM

^

^

3-

cJui

=?r

^^1

f

sa

?

'a.

^

chha

¥

¥

sha

GT

v/l

>5v

>

F

!H

5r

$a

5f

'h

•"■

jha

<:

^

^

ha

• The swni vowel ir is not used by KayasUisi in writing Maittili. the vowd \ being substituted for it.

INTEODUCTION, MAITHILt. 21

No less than three different alphabets are in use in the tract in which Maithili is

spoken. The Maithili character proper is that used by

Written Oharacter. mr -At -i t» -i_ i • i ^ , . .. . «

Maithil Brahraans, and is closely akm to the Bengali. It is
not used by persons of the other castes. The character which is used by all the other
castes, and which is generally employed, with a few local variations, over the whole of
Northern India, from Bihar to Gujerat, is the Kaithi. It is not a complete alphabet,
using only the long form of the vowel * i * for both the short and the long vowels, and
the short form of * u ' for similar purpose. A fount of Kaithi type is adopted by
the Bengal Government for official publications in the vernacular, intended for publica-
tion in Bihar, in which this deficiency has been supplied, and books are now printed in
Patna in, the same type, so that gradually the written character is becoming more
connect in this respect. The Deva-nagari character is used by a few of the educated
classes who have come under the literary influence of Benares, and it is understood
and read by all persons who pretend to a liberal education*

The table opposite shows the three alphabets current in Mithila in juxtapomtibn.
Specimens will subsequently be given in all three. In transliterating those in Kaithi,
the necessarv correction of distinguishing between the long and short * i ' and * u ' will
be made.

LINGUISTIC SURVEY OF INDIA

COMPILED AND EDITED BY

G. A. GRIERSON, CLE., Ph.D., DXitt., I.ca (retd.)

© MOTILAL BANARSIDASS

BUNGALOW ROAD, JAWAHAR NAGAR, DELHI-?

NEPALI KHAPRA, VARANASI, (U.P.)

ASHOK RAJ PATH, (opp. patna college) PATNA (bihar)

With kind permission of Govt, of India,

FmsT Edition 1927

reprint 1967

Priee Rs. 1250/- ($ 200) for the complete set*

P RENTED IN INDIA BY SKANTILAL JAIN, AT 8HRI JAINENDRA PRESS,
BUNGALOW ROAD, JAWAHARNAOAR, DELHl-^ AND PUBLISHED BY
SITNDARLAL JAIN, MOTILAL BANARSIDASS, BUNGALOW ROAD,
JAWAHARNAOAR, DELHl-7

MOTILAL BANARSIDASS

DELHI :: VARANASI :: PATNA