AS 
 122 
 RSltr 
 
 ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY 
 OF GREAT BRITAIN AND 
 IRELAND 
 
 TRANSLITERATION REPORT 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
=-— 
 
 ^ 
 
 ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 
 
 TRANSLITERATION 
 REPORT. 
 
 Repr iiited from the "Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society," 
 
 October, 1896. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY, 
 22, ALBEMARLE STREET, LONDON, \V. 
 
 1896. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2013 
 
 http://archive.org/details/transliterationrOOroya 
 
ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 
 
 TRANSLITERATION 
 REPORT. 
 
 Reprinted from the " Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society," 
 
 October, 1896. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY, 
 22, ALBEMARLE STREET, LONDON, W. 
 
 18 ( JG. 
 
HERTFORD: 
 
 PKINTHD BY STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS. 
 
L/l 
 
 TRANSLITERATION. 
 
 The subject of a uniform system of transliteration of 
 Oriental characters has for a long time occupied the 
 attention of the Council of the Royal Asiatic Society. 
 In May, 1890, a Committee was formed, on the motion 
 of Professor Sir M. Monier- Williams, K.C.I.E., to prepare 
 a scheme, in conjunction with other learned societies, to be 
 brought before the International Congress of Orientalists. 
 
 After long deliberation and careful consideration of the 
 scheme propounded by Professor the Right Hon. F. Max 
 Miiller, and accepted by the Oxford University Press, of the 
 i scheme adopted by the Government of India, on the recom- 
 
 mendation of Sir W. W. Hunter, K.C.S.L, of the papers 
 contributed by Sir M. Monier- Williams, K.C.I.E., to this 
 Society's Journal in 1890, and to the proceedings of the 
 Berlin Congress, and of the schemes adopted by the 
 Societe Asiatique, the Deutsche Morgenliindische Gresell- 
 schaft, the Bengal Asiatic Society, and the Piili Text 
 Society, this Committee presented their Report to the 
 Council held on the 8th of May, 1894. That report was 
 adopted by the Council, and published in the Society's 
 Journal for July, 1894. 
 
 In the autumn of that year the Tenth Oriental Congress 
 was held at Geneva ; and, on the motion of Lord Reay 
 on behalf of the Society, a representative Commission was 
 appointed to consider the subject. The Report of this 
 Commission was presented to the Congress before it 
 separated, and was adopted by the Congress. The scheme 
 prepared by the Commission (containing two systems — one 
 for Sanskrit and the other for Arabic) was ordered to be 
 incorporated in the Proceedings of the Congress, and was 
 recommended for adoption by all Orientalists. A transla- 
 tion of this scheme was published, with the Report, in the 
 Society's Journal for October, 1895. 
 
 3022877 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 This Report states that — " The Commission took as a 
 basis for its work the Report of the Royal Asiatic 
 Society's Special Committee, and the systems of trans- 
 literation usually adopted in France, in Germany, and 
 by the Bengal Asiatic Society. The Commission does not 
 pretend to have discovered a perfectly scientific system." 
 
 The Council is of opinion that it is advisable to take 
 this opportunity of recommending the system thus placed 
 before the world. Much care and pains have been taken 
 over the subject, and there does not seem any probability 
 of further steps being taken, at all events for some years 
 to come. It has come to the decision, therefore, to 
 recommend those Oriental scholars over whom it has 
 influence to endeavour to adopt the system proposed by 
 the Oriental Congress at Geneva. It observes, however, 
 that there are some slight diversities between the scheme 
 for Sanskrit and that for Arabic, and a few emendations 
 have been suggested to bring them more fully into harmony. 
 The Council, therefore, now republishes, together with its 
 own resolution on the subject, the two systems suggested 
 by the Geneva Congress ; and adds a few suggestions 
 (chiefly by way of harmonizing them), together with 
 specimens of transliteration in various languages, so that 
 all Oriental scholars may clearly understand what is 
 recommended. 
 
 The following is the resolution that has consequently 
 been passed : — " Resolved that the Council of the Royal 
 Asiatic Society, having given the most careful consideration 
 to the Report on Transliteration prepared by the repre- 
 sentative Commission appointed by the Oriental Congress 
 at Geneva, while not entirely agreeing in all the details, 
 gives the entire scheme its general approval ; and earnestly 
 recommends all connected with this country who are en- 
 gaged in Oriental studies to set aside their own individual 
 feelings and predilections, and, as far as possible, to employ 
 this method of transliteration, in order that the very great 
 benefit of a uniform S3 T stem may be gradually adopted, 
 and Oriental studies may thereby be facilitated." 
 
( 5 ) 
 
 TABLE I. 
 
 TRANSLITERATION OF THE SANSKRIT AND 
 
 ALLIED ALPHABETS ADOPTED BY THE 
 
 GENEVA CONGRESS. 
 
 ^r « 
 
 ^T a 
 
 X • 
 
 t i 
 
 ^ u 
 
 ^f u 
 
 ^ r 
 
 ^ f 
 
 ^ £ 
 
 % I 
 
 H e 
 
 X[ at 
 
 ^ft o 
 
 ^sft ««* 
 
 ^ * 
 
 T§ M 
 
 *T <7 
 
 ^r gh 
 
 ^ w 
 
 ^ c 
 
 j% ch 
 
 ^ y 
 
 w J h 
 
 of /? 
 
 z i 
 
 S ....... M 
 
 ^ 4 
 
 ^ dh 
 
 nr » 
 
 rf t 
 
 Vf th 
 
 ^ d 
 
 ^1 dh 
 
 «f » 
 
 *r p 
 
 *fi ph 
 
 ^ b 
 
 *T bh 
 
 f{ m 
 
 ^ y 
 
 X r 
 
 *T I 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 ^ 
 
 *T 
 
 *T 
 
 *r 
 
 I 
 
 3o (in Pali 1-) ... 
 
 — (Anusvdra, Niggahita) m 
 (A)iunasika) . . w* 
 
 / 
 
 «/ 
 
 : (Visarga) . . 
 X (Jihvdmiiliya) 
 X ( Upadhmdnlya) 
 vS (Avagraha) 
 Uddtta .... 
 
 Svarita 
 
 h 
 
 h 
 h 
 
 Anuddtta 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 TABLE II. 
 
 TRANSLITERATION OF THE ARABIC ALPHABET 
 ADOPTED BY THE GENEVA CONGRESS. 
 
 [Notes in square brackets refer to pp. 6, 7.] 
 
 i at beginning of 
 
 word 
 
 i g permissible gh 
 
 omit ; hamza elsewhere 
 
 
 2- [' or °, Note 8] 
 
 
 *-*/ 
 
 c_> 6 
 
 
 d 9. 
 
 cu> t 
 
 
 lJ k 
 
 l£j t permissible th 
 
 
 J I 
 
 '(T j permissible dj 
 
 
 
 £ h permissible kh 
 
 
 j w? [or t?, Note 5] 
 
 6 d 
 
 
 ■fc A 
 
 ^ d permissible dh 
 
 
 hf y 
 
 J r 
 
 
 vowels — a, — i, — u 
 
 J z 
 
 
 lengthened V a, ±J^ i f / u 
 
 (J^> s 
 
 
 diphthongs &' ay and y aw 
 
 i^i s permissible sh 
 
 
 [ai and au, Note 4] 
 
 jjfi s [see Note 1] 
 
 
 e and o may be used in place 
 
 Jo d [d, Note 2] 
 
 
 of I and u 
 
 k t or t [only t, Note 
 
 3] 
 
 also e and 6 in Indian dialects, 
 
 ^ z or z 
 
 • • • 
 
 
 u and o in Turkish 
 
 L^ 
 
 
 J of article J! to be always /. 
 
( 8 ) 
 
 ADDITIONAL IN PERSIAN, HINDI, 
 AND PAKSHTU. 
 
 r P 
 
 <—. c permissible ch 
 
 J z permissible zh 
 
 TURKISH LETTERS. 
 
 <lS when pronounced as y, 
 k is permitted. 
 
 LS n 
 
 
 HINDI AND PAKSHTU. 
 
 •* 
 
 or^ t 
 
 
 or £ d 
 
 
 or j r 
 
 
 PAKSHTU LETTERS. 
 
 J 
 
 y 
 
 U* 
 
 ts 
 
 9 
 
 n 
 
 ksh 
 
 Also in India will be recognized s for <Jlj, z for J, and z for u a. 
 
 The above scheme contains, it will be seen, two schemes — 
 one for the transliteration of Sanskrit, Pali, and the allied 
 alphabets, and one for the transliteration of Arabic and 
 the allied alphabets. These two tables are inconsistent with 
 one another on several points. In applying the Congress 
 scheme, therefore, to the transliteration of Hindi (which 
 is written both with Sanskrit and Arabic letters) the same 
 word would have to be transliterated differently according 
 to the alphabet before the transliterator. These points 
 are as follows : — 
 
 (1) The sound represented in English by sh is represented 
 in the first table by s, and in the second by s (sh being 
 permissible). On the other hand, the s is used in the 
 first table for the Sanskrit *J (sh) and in the second for 
 ,jfi (z). The practical difficulties arising from this dis- 
 crepancy are, however, so small that the Council would 
 merely point out the discrepancy. 
 
 (2) The sign d is used in the Sanskrit table for ^ (the 
 cerebral d), and in the Arabic table for ^o (dad). This 
 discrepancy could be avoided by selecting d for the dad. 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 (3) The alternative transliteration t allowed for )o in the 
 second table clashes with the use of the same sign in 
 the first table. This alternative transliteration might be 
 dropped out of Table II. 
 
 (4) The diphthongs ai and au in the first table are 
 replaced by ay and mv in the second. It would be better 
 to adhere to the first table. 
 
 (5) The transliteration iv for the j in the Arabic table 
 clashes with that proposed for the ^ in the Sanskrit table. 
 Both v and w might be allowed for each of these letters. 
 
 (6) The sound represented by ch in the English ortho- 
 graphy is transliterated c in the Sanskrit table, and c (ch 
 being permissible) in the second table. It would be more 
 consistent to adopt c throughout. 
 
 There are also one or two other matters which are worthy 
 of notice. 
 
 (7) The signs z and z, and d and t are each of them 
 used in Table II as the transliteration of two different 
 letters. 
 
 (8) No sign has been suggested in the Arabic table for 
 the transliteration of the wasla. The comma above the 
 line ' used in the table to represent the hamsa might be 
 used for the wasla, and either a stroke or a circle above 
 the line (' or °) might be used for the hamsa. 
 
 (9) No sign has been suggested in the Arabic table for the 
 silent t. The sign h might be used to represent this letter. 
 
 (10) A stroke beneath the line (thus k or m) might be 
 suggested to signify that a letter written in any alphabet 
 to be transliterated is not to be pronounced. 
 
( io ) 
 
 Subject to the suggestions above made, which will, the 
 Council hopes, meet with the approval of Continental 
 scholars, the following passages would illustrate the scheme 
 as adopted by the Congress. 
 
 SANSKRIT. 
 
 Rg Yeda : opening lines — 
 
 _ Cv _ _ _ Os _ 
 
 * |^t TJf *NfcT II 
 
 Agnim lie purohitam yajnasya devam rtvijam 
 
 hotaram ratnadhatamam. 
 agnih piirvebhir fshibir idyo nutanair uta 
 
 sa, devam eha vaksati. 
 
 Nalopakhyana : opening lines — 
 
 Wl^ - Ximi Wt IT* ^T^^<ft ^^ I 
 Tgxjxj^f ^[%tTt ^RT^ ^I^^tf^^: II 
 ^faB^ i73%^THFt *flt ^^TCfcTT ^^T I 
 
 ^xrgqfr; *f^T*T. "mfzm j^ ^m ii 
 
 Asid raj a Nalo nama Yirasenasuto ball 
 upapanno gunair istair rupavan asvakovidah 
 atisthan manujendranam murdhni devapatir yatha 
 uparyupari sarvesam aditya iva tejasa. 
 
( 11 ) 
 
 PALI. 
 Digha : opening words — 
 
 Evam me sutam. Ekam samayam bhagava antara ca 
 Rajagaham antara ca Nalandarii addhanamaggapatipanno 
 hoti mahata bhikkhusamghena saddhim pafica mattehi 
 bhikkhusatehi. 
 
 ARABIC. 
 Opening chapter of the Quran — 
 
 tfjjri t '.**£iJ cS^\ ; sisJ ilASi ..jiff *s d^u *— lif 
 
 >j >• fv- (j-»^ y- (*^ y- 
 
 Ch. ix, v. 1. 
 
 Ch. x, v. 14. 
 
 Bismi'llahi'l-rahmani'l-raliTmi. Al-hamdn lillahi rabbi- 
 
 • • • 
 
 'l-'alamma'l-rahmani'l-rahlmi maliki yaumi '1-dmi. Iyaka 
 
 na'budu wa Iyaka nasta'Imi. Ikdina 'l-sirata'l-mustaqima 
 
 sirata'lladlna an'amta 'alaihim gairi 'l-magdubi 'alaihim 
 
 wa la 'l-dalllna. 
 
 Ch. ix, v. 1. — Bara'atim mina'llahi wa rasulihi ila 
 
 'lladlna 'ahadtum mina 'l-musriklna. 
 < < 
 
 Ch. x, v. 14. — Wa ja'athum rusuluhum bi'1-baiyinati wa 
 ma kanu liyu'minii. 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 Notes — 
 
 Hamza at the beginning of a word is omitted, as pre- 
 scribed on p. 5. Only the voicel is written. Ex. asad, 
 a lion ; plur. vsd. Insdn, a human being. 
 
 Hamza elsewhere = a stroke ' or circle °. 
 
 Wasla is represented by an apostrophe. See Note 8, p. 7. 
 
 The diphthongs have been written ai and an, not ay and 
 aw. See Note 4, p. 7. 
 
 PERSIAN. 
 Opening words of the Gulistan — 
 
 SjLl j l^-*M*1Jj2 <-~~2^y ^j£.-^..clb &S; (J.^- % Lc l.JMA.^ L^>1^ 
 
 Minnat hudaira 'azza wa jalla kih tii'atas miijib-i- 
 qurbatast. Wa bisukr andaras mazid-i-ni'mat. Har nafasi 
 kih faru mlravad mumidd-i-hiyatast. Wa cun bar niayad 
 mufarriq-i-zat. Pas dar har nafasi du ni'mat maujudast. 
 Wa bar har ni'mati sukri wajib. 
 
( 13 ) 
 
 The Council would take this opportunity of suggesting 
 the following scheme for the transliteration of Hebrew. 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 a 
 
 n 
 
 n 
 i 
 
 T 
 
 n 
 
 to 
 
 5 
 h 
 
 3 
 
 D 
 
 y 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 < 
 
 6 
 
 • • 9 
 
 < 
 
 . . h 
 
 h (or M) 
 
 . . v 
 
 z 
 
 t 
 
 y 
 k 
 
 < 
 
 k 
 
 I 
 
 m 
 n 
 s 
 
 J 
 
 P 
 
 D 
 
 h 
 n 
 
 r 
 
 s 
 
 < 
 
 s 
 
 t 
 
 < 
 
 t 
 
 (or-:-) 
 
 i 
 6 
 u 
 a 
 
 u 
 
 a 
 
 o 
 
 = o 
 
 1 
 
 Dagges forte = double letter 
 
( 14 ) 
 
 HEBREW. 
 Genesis I, 1-5. 
 
 pani : pan n«i dwh na dviSn ina rv&ftna 
 
 | ••• t t : I v t t •• : • - t - •• v: t t • ■■ j 
 
 nBrna d^Sk roil Qinn 'ae-Sj; ^rrj vh) «ih nivri 
 rM iisn rn D^riSx Sinn mto-^ mxn-n« dtiSk 
 
 I •• t I •• ■ v: ...-.- • T v • v: 
 
 B°re'slt bara' 'elohlm 'et bassamayim v°'et ba'ares. 
 
 << o < < < ^ < • 
 
 Y°ha'ares hay°tah tohii vabohu v°hosek 'al p°nei t°li6m. 
 v°ruah 'elohlm m°rahefet 'al p°nei bammayim. Vayyo'mer 
 'elobim y°hi 'or vay°bl 'or. Vayyar' 'elohim 'et ba'or ki 
 tob vayyabdel 'elohim bcin bii'or ubein hahosek Yayyiqra' 
 'elobim la'dr yom v°labosek qiira' lay°lab. vay°bi 'ereb 
 vay°bl boqer yom 'ebad. 
 
 STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS, PRINTERS, HERTFORD. 
 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 ^ •>: 
 
 !#M 
 
 \/ r\f~ fl»l ir llnrsjim/ !#-»/-» * • t /-> »~ 1 f f* 
 
No. 
 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 
 V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 
 VIII, 
 
 IX. 
 
 X. 
 
 XI. 
 XII. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 XIV. 
 XV. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 TABLE XI. 
 
 Termini of the Route. 
 
 Euphrates to Sera by way of Samarkand, 
 Kashgar, and Aksu (Marco Polo's route). 
 
 Southern route from the Euphrates to Sera by 
 way of the Stone Tower (mentioned by 
 Ptolemy himself). 
 
 Khoten to Tibet and India 
 
 Cherchen to Alado 
 
 Pangkung Lake to Alado 
 
 Thokjalung to Alado 
 
 Thokjalung to Delhi, viA the Daba Pass 
 
 Kathmandu to Patna 
 
 China to Tibet 
 
 Sz'chuen to Burma (and Bengal) 
 
 Nanking to Yunnan 
 
 Yunnan to Gulf of Martaban .. 
 
 Laos to Tonkin ... 
 
 Across the Malay Peninsula (Krah Isthmus^ ... 
 Sea-route from 'the Persian Gulf to India and 
 China. 
 
 Sea-route from the south of India or Ceylon 
 to the Sunda Archipelago (Palembaug in 
 Sumatra). 
 
 Names of Ptolemy's Stations along the Route. 
 
 Hang-chou to Nanking 
 
 Marakanda — Auxakia — Issedon Skythike — Damna — Piala — Issedon Serike — Paliana — Tnogara — Daxata 1 — Sera 
 Metropolis. 
 
 Marakanda — Lithinos Pyrgos — Issedon Serike, after which it followed the preceding route 
 
 Lithinos Pyrgos— Konta — Batang Kaissara— Astrassos— Arispara— Batanagra— Labokla 
 
 Vid Khaurana— Eldana 
 
 Tiu Sapolos and Soita 
 
 Stoma — Heorta — Rhappha— Kanogiza— Kassida — Selampura — Eldana 
 
 Stoma— Passala — Margara— Orza — Sannaba — Persakra — Sambalaka (I) 
 
 1. Via Kanogiza— Boraita. 1. Vit Sambalaka (II) 
 
 ViA TJrathenai — Arkhinara — Orosana — Asanabara — Sadoga — Eldana 
 
 ViA Urathenai—Salatha— Pandasa— Posinara— Adeisaga — Arisabion— Mareura- Sahara 
 
 ViA Kokkonagara— Rhadamarkotta— Kimara— Pandasa 
 
 Via Posinara— Rhingiberi 
 
 ) 1. Lariagara— Besynga i 
 
 Lasyppa- 
 -Kortatha Metropolis 
 
 ( 1. Via Doana— Bareukora 
 ( 2. Vid Sinda 
 
 Takola — Balongka ... 
 
 Touching Maisolos— Apheterion— Palura or Pakura ; thence across to Sada ; then by way of 
 (Takola)— Zaba— Kattigara. 
 
 Temala, Golden Kl 
 
 Sighting en route Argyre, the Barusai, Sindai, Sabadeibai, and ending the journey at Iabadiu. Perhaps the ships f.ontiuuecl 
 sometimes to China, viu the Satyron Islands. 
 
 Road leading from the metropolis of the Smaito the haven of Kattigara, running in a south-west direction. (Ptol., lib. I, c 17, § 5 
 
 Modern Names of the Stations along the Route. 
 
 Samarkand — (Kashgar)— Harashar — Pidshan — Hami — Pa-liu Hai Lake — Edzina (Marco Polo's) or I-tsi-nay — Lang-ekou- 
 hsiang — Hsi-an Fu — Lo-yang, capital of China. 
 
 Samarkand — Khoten — (Lake Lob) — Edzina ; and thence along the preceding. 
 
 Feng 
 
 Rangoon on Gulf of Martaban. 
 [Song-ka route.] 
 
 Khoten — (Kirrea) — Haute — Simla — Gurdiispur ? — Hoshiarpur (or Amritsar) f — Batala ? — Lahore. 
 
 Chara-nor Lake — Alado. 
 
 ?— Chikut-cho Lake. 
 
 Thok-jalung — Tiruta — Ravau-rhad Lake — Sarka ? — Shakia — La-tsang (Teshilumbo) — Alado. 
 
 Thok-jalung — ? — Garthok — Daba — Srinagar — Sukertal (or Bijnaur)? — Sambhal (or Sampla?), near Delhi. 
 
 1. Viu Kathmandu — Bettiah. 2. ViA W. Champuran District (Salempur?). 
 
 Wu-chou — Ho-k'ou (Ta-tsien-lu)— Selini — Shabando — Sindong — Alado. 
 
 Wu-chou — Hsii-chou — lin-an Fu (or Yunnan Lake) — Hung-ngai (or Tali Lake) — Yung-ch'ang — Sheubo — Prome— Twante (Gulf 
 
 of Martaban). This route w r as followed as early as a.i>. 97 by the embassy of the King of Shen to China. 
 Kiu-kiaug — Kwei-yang (or Shih-ch'ien) — Hsin-yi — Lin-an Fu (or Yunnan Lake). 
 
 Peh-ngai (Tali Lake)-Ch'ieng-rung (Kiang-hung)- ( \ ^.^T hibo) ' 
 
 1. Luang P'hrabang — M. P'huen (C'hieug-Khwang) — Kim-duk (Hatinh). 
 
 2. Probably down the Black River to So'ntay and the coast at Chifi-dai. 
 Pak-chau to C'hump'hon across the Krah Pass. 
 
 Masulipatam — Gopalpur— Palur Bluff (above the mouth of the Ganjam) ; thence across to Sandoway; then by way of Cape 
 Negrais (mouth of Bassein River)— Takopa— mouth of Saigon River — Hang-chou. This is the sea-route mentioned by 
 Ptolemy himself. It may be looked upon as certain that besides the above-mentioned principal points en route, the ships in 
 Ptolemy's time touched also at Akadra (Koh Tron or Hatien Harbour) and at Rhabana (Canton). 
 
 Ache'h (Achin) Point, Pulo Nias (or coast of Sumatra atBarus), Si- Berut , group [or coast of Sumatra atIndra(<S!«<fa?)-pura], and 
 Si-Pora and Poggy Islands, Sunda Strait, terminating the journey at Sri-lihoja (Palembang). Thence the journey was perhaps 
 continued to China, passing the Siantan Islands (Great Anambas) en route. 
 
 Old mandarin road from Hang-chou to Nanking. N.B. — For 'south-west' read 'north-west,' owing to the coast of China 
 having been erroneously held by Ptolemy to turn southward instead of northward. 
 
 Note. — The stations added by the Latin translator of Ptolemy's treatise, such as Gulf of the Sinai, etc., were purposely omitted fron the present list and from the map, as there is no proof that they were known in Ptolemy's time. 
 
UCLA-Young Research Library 
 
 AS122 .R81tr 
 
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