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512
Amrita
bases with no observable general principle. It seems best to set up the lemma in the Prātipadika form when it conforms to the rules of word-endings current in Prākrit. In case this is not possible, we set the lemma in the form in which it occurs before the inflectional terminations. More specifically, if a noun ends in the suffix -in (both krt and taddhita) it will be given without the final consonant. If the word ends in -an, the final consonant will be dropped, or a vowel like -a or -ā will be added according to the gender of the word. For words originally ending in the base will end in -u or -ara – āra as the case may be. The present active participle will be given as ending in -anta. The distinction between words ending in short vowels like -i and -u and long vowels like -ī and -ū will be preserved even in the case of feminine words. Words ending in -vas will be given as u-ending and those in -tr will be either shown as ending in -u or in -tā (> yā) and the ending -jña will be shown as -nnu or -nnu.
The adjectives will be given in their mas. or neu. forms and their feminine form will be shown as (f. -ā] or [f. -ī] as the case may be. If only the feminine form is available then after the designation of the part of speech as adj. the symbol (f.) will be added.
Pronouns will be given as they actually occur in their Nom. (?) Sg. form, and pronominal adjectives will be treated as ordinary nouns, so also the numerals.
The adverbs will be given in their actually occurring forms and in the case of adverbial use of the cases of some nouns and adjectives, they will be included under the corresponding nouns and adjectives. .
In case of the verbs, the practice of the Prākrit scholars so far has been indecisive and varying. Some use the Sanskrit root itself, while ot give the Prākrit form of the Sanskrit root, either using thematization or some other changes. Some give the 3. p. sg. Present form of the root, even when that form may not occur. Following a suggestion of H. Jacobi and confirmed by Edgerton, the verbs will be given here as ending either in -a or -e or - ā, thus forming three types of conjugation. The base will be decided by cutting off the inflections as given by the Prākrit grammarians. Secondary bases of the verbs will be treated in the same way.
As regards the orthography of the lemma which will be given in Devanāgarī throughout, an Anusvāra will be used for all nasal consonants, which do not occur in the Prākrit phonology. Earlier scholars have used both the para-savarna and Anusvāra indiscriminately.
Verbs will be distinguished from the other words by adding a hyphen