1. Complaints have been numerous from both teachers
and pupils that the former editions of this grammar were
exceedingly difficult to understand. It has therefore been
carefully and fully revised, a large part of it re-written,
the whole of it re-arranged, and considerable additions
have been made, so that it is now almost a new work.
Besides this, an explanatory translation has been given.
It is hoped that the work as it now stands will be found
adapted to use in schools, and that most of the obscurities
before complained of will have disappeared. One of the
most perplexing of these was the difficulty of determining
what were indeclinables (അവ്യയങ്ങൾ) and what were not,
on which subject the editor has endeavoured by a rigorous
application of the definition to make the doctrine clear.
And it may here be stated that the doctrine, on this point,
of this smaller grammar is that of Dr. Gundert's large
Grammar, but distinctly stated and strictly carried out.
Of course for the work as it now stands, the reviser alone
must be considered responsible.
2. Those accustomed to the grammars of European
tongues only, must remember that Malayálam, belonging
to quite another family of languages, must necessarily pre-
sent many contrasts to the grammatical systems with which
they have hitherto been familiar. The very fact that
there are only three parts of speech in the language
instead of nine, is one of those contrasts, and the cause
1*
