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THE ANTIQUITY OF THE ARDHAMAGADHI AGAMA TEXTS AND THE PLACE OF THEIR COMPOSITION in the Eastern region. The use of the word 'samanta’in the sense of a 'neighbour' or 'neighbouring' is found in the Pāli' literature, too. (J) The Anaptyxix (svara-bhakti) in the Conjunct Con
sonants with -y :
The conjunct consonants are generally simplified by assimilation in the Prakrit languages. But, in the Ardhamāgadhī, the instances of the anaptyxix are frequent in the usages where the .yis the latter member of the conjunct consonant, as for instance,
anitiya (anitya) - Ācā., 1.1.5.45; tahiya (tathya)- Uttarā., 28.14; kāriya (kārya) - Isibhā., 11.3; veyāvadiya (vaiyávrtya) · Vyav. Sū., Ācā. 1.5.4.163.
Similar usages are found in the Pāli Suttanipāta also, as for instance,
tathiya (tathya) - Suttanipāta 50.5,6; macchariya (mātsarya) 49.2.
1 This process of simplification instead of assimilation of the conjunct consonants is found, according to Alsdorf, in the Ashokan inscriptions of the Eastern India, while in those of the North-Western and Western India they are either assimilated or just preserved', as for instance, śakya = sakiya (Jaugada), saka (Giranāra), sakya (Brahmagiri, Siddāpura); ibhya = ibhiya (Dhaulī, Jaugada), ibhya (Mānaseharā), ibha (Sāhbazgadhī, Kālasī);
vyañjana = viyamjana (Dhaulī, Jaugada, Kālasī), vyamjana (Giranāra). (K) The Usages of Final -a' = '-e' (with case-termination) in the words of the Ardhamāgadhi language :
The case-termination 'e'for the masculine nouns ending in-a in the Nominative Singular is found in general in the . Ardhamāgadhi language; it is originally the salient feature of the Māgadhi language. But, in nominal forms other than this one, where there is final ah, the occurrence of '-e'in the place of aħ'is linguistically noteworthy from the regional point of view, e.g.,
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