PREFACE.
Government business in Southern India is chiefly transacted in the language of the Hindus, either Tamil, Telugu, Kannadi, Malayalam or Marata ; while the Musulmans still speak Hindustani (as well as the local native tongue) but Hindustani is seldom written.
The long continued dominion of the Musulmans introduced many foreign words into the various Hindu languages. Thus the modem Telugu contains a variety of Persian and Arabic expressions. In later years, some English words have crept into use. The present vocabulary of the Mixed dialects therefore forms a requisite supplement to a Dictionary of the Telugu language : and it contains only those phrases which are current among the natives.
This dialect is convenient : resembling Law-Latin on which Judge Blackstone has pronounced an eulogium. See his Commentaries, Vol. 3, p. 318—323 and 149. And the Gentleman's Magazine, 1813, part 2, page 643. It deviates from Telugu nearly as much as Law-French deviated from the language of Parisians : for instance (Coke upon Littleton, t. 2, p. 1 .) " En ce tierce liver, ascun chose sera diet a toy mon fitz, de parceners, de joint tenantz," &c.
Indeed the business dialect may be considered another language, often deviating both in words and Syntax from correct Telugu. The following is an instance : clearly intelligible to any native who is acquainted with business.
యీ నంబరులోడిఫెండటు సమ్మను చూచి సైను (or దస్ఖత్) చేశివాయిదా చొప్పున కోర్టులో హాజరు అయి ఆన్ సరు యియ్యకపోయినందున యిందులోయొక్కపార్టీ దర్యాప్తు చేయవలెనని ప్లేంటిఫ్ ప్లీడరు మోశను చేశినాడు గనుక ఆమోశను రికార్డులో దాఖలు (or ఫయిలు) చేశి అందులో దర్ఖాస్తు చేశిన చొప్పున నడిపించేలాగున ప్రోసీడింగునులో ఆర్డరు యెంటరు చేయడం అయినది.
Which might be thus expressed in the English character : the foreign words being marked in Italics.
I' number 16, defendant, summons cochi, sign (or dastkliat) chesi, waida coppuna Court 15 hazir ai, answer iyyaca-poinanduna, indulo ex-parte daryaft cheya valen' ani, plaintiff'pleader motion chesinadu ganuca, a motion record 15 dakhil (or file) chesi, andu-l5 darkhast cheaina coppuna nadipinche laguna, proceedings 16 order enter cheyadam ayinadi.
This in English would run thus :—
' The Defendant in this case, having seen the summons, and having signed it, has failed to appear in Court at the fixed time to present his answer. The plaintiff's pleader thereupon made a motion wherein he prayed that an exparte trial may be made ; that motion was therefore filed in the record, and an order was entered in the proceedings that this shou'd be done according to his desire.'
The diary of any court of justice in the Telugu country will furnish specimens of this useful though inelegant dialect. The instance now given is copied from the journal cf the Court at Masulipatam.
