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PREFACE.
of the same word in both languages, c.g. atâ=attå, påta= patta, or even in Prakrit itself: áta, but acc. attanam.
The consonants in Prakrit differ more widely from those of the sister idiom, especially if single between two vowels. In that position k g cjtd p () v are most frequently dropped or, before a à, replaced by euphonic y; witness loo= loko, miya miga, loyana locana, gae gajo, kayam katam, hiyaya hadaya, niuna nipunn, niyattui nitattati. y is retained only before a à. The surds k kht th are rarely replaced by the corresponding mediae g gh d dh, while ! th p are generally changed into ? !h v, e... cge=cke, âghûti akkhâti, påıla (påta) putta, tailhû tathû, mauda makuti, palhama pathama, larai lapati. ? is replaced by l, and !h by dh: talaga=talâka, dulha dalha; u by n, mno=mano. kh gh th dh (ph) bh are generally changed to h: sahů såkha, diha digha, tahů tatha, raha racha, loha lobha; but th is not unfrequently retained : labha.
As regards compound consonants, Prakrit avoids even more than Pâli to join two consonants of different classes, except nạ m with l, brûhmaņa becomes bamhana or mahaņa, vyâkaruna růgaraņa, mayham majjham, åkhyâta akkhâta, etc. It substitutes un for iñ, rv for bb, ji for yy: anna añña, sarra sabba, kaijati kayyati. Initial ñ is changed to n, y toj : nata nala, jaha yatha.
Prakrit has lost little or nothing of the copiousness and variety of declensional forms preserved in Påli. I subjoin the paradigms of the principal declensions in both languages. Prakrit.
Pali.
SINGULAR
Nom. dhamme, dhammo Voc. dhamma Acc. dhammam Inst. dhammenam, oena Dat. dhammůya, de Abl. dhammů, oâo (ato) Gen. dhammassa Loc.dhamme, oamsi, ammi
dhammo dhamma, a dhamman dhammena dhammaya dhammâ, Rasmå, 'amha dhammassa dhamme, Casmim, 'amhi.
