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LA SCHWACHILD
DISTINCTION AND CONFUSION: A STUDY OF NEUTER
PLURAL ENDINGS IN MIDDLE INDO-ARYAN
By L. A. SCHWARZSCHILD
I Introductory note From the time of Vararulon, most scholars, with the exception of some Gujarat Jain writers, have tended to view the Prakrit dialects in terms of Sanskrit and the divergencies from regular Sanskrit derivation have dominated discussions. T. Burrow's studies on the language of the Kharosti documents from Chinese Turkestan (1931) brought a new perspective to Middle IndoAryan, and showed how much Prakrit was of intrinse interest in its grammatical structure. One of the most striking characteristics of Prakrit is an internal and not a Sansit-dominated feature, namely the bewildering profusion of declensional endings and the apparently haphazard manner in which they can be used. Thus in the case of the nominative-scusative plural of the common neuter nouns in the grammars state that
and are all used in Pukrit (Pischel 1900:25). It is well known that some of the endings are dialectal variants as will be discussed below, but this does not account for the entire situation. Such a profusion of alterant, and free variation of the kind postulated by Prakrit grammers would be unthinkable in any natural Innguage. It would seem obvious that syntactie and stylistic variation must be involved. An attempt has been made in ocent paper (Schwarzschild (1977)) to show this in connexion with the locative endings and a similar situation in discussed here in relation to the neuter plural endings
all creatures, which recurs even in the Mahabharata (Michelson (1904), 103) and in
trt paid modhen paddni adj. adj.
noun * the three footsteps filled with mead (1.154.4) ugd no virpothuanian adj. adj. noun may all paths be good and easy to cross for ta' (VIL.63.6) minal priyd bhojanni primo
adj. noun may you not take away from us our well-liked nourishments (1.104.8).
A definite development can be seen within the Reveda: in the later hymns the proportion of uni endings is on the increase and even adjectives are in isolated instances affected by this change
itfararsi adma
adj. noun higher abodes' (X.57.10) halmsi priyatäni barkisi
adj. the offerings laid out on the straw'(X.115.11). But the ending-dini only very gradually became cominon in adjectives. This delay may be attributed to two son: (1) - originated from the nominal declension in the first place (from nouns
in -a) (ii) within the unit of the noun-phrase, the noun is the dominating constituent.
The noun, rather than the adjective therefore takes more readily the fuller
and more distinctive ending in in the neuter plural The short form in was also favoured in Vedio when several nouns and particularly adjectives in the neuter plural were listed, and this was evidently for the same reason, the absence of need for distinctiveness. This trend was noticeable particularly when the longer ending and already occurred once within the same noun phrase
It seems that there was still some survival of the Vedie situation in the earlier phases of Middle Indo-Aryan. The ending is found in the Asokan inscriptions everywhere except at Gimnar (soe Bloch (1950), 59) (J.R.E.II) widhini haldita e lopitil
noun adj. adj.
medicinal herbs have been caused to be imported and planted' There are also instances of this sage in early Pali texta (Weller (1915). 45) and in Ardhamgadh (Pischel (1900). $367), mainly in adjectives and in enumerations where one might expect the short forms sponding to the Vedic tradition : jhanaas con lakhand, catturi alam nyandar puchand of that meditation there are four outward signs,...four support, words, and questions (The 4.1). But this is rare, and can be regarded as an archaising stylistic variant.
IIDerivation and distribution of the neuter plural endings There are two main problems 1. What principles govern the distribution of the neuter plural ending 2. What principles govern the distribution of the neuter plural ending
? tim
1. (w) The ending -
The neuter plural ending in - oceurs consonally in the older Pili texta, and in Andhamaigadh and Jain Moharistul, though only rarely. It has been thought by Geiger (1916), 50 and by Pichel (1900). $367 to represents survival of the old Vedie ending of the neuter plural
The situation is, however, wlightly more intricate than it may appear at first clano, is indeed the older etymological form of the neuter plural of nouns in just as and are the older neuter plural endings of nouns in
and respectively. The ending-dini (just like wine and -in) is an innovation based on the influence of the group of noun that have a stem-final, such as Luronation plural Law . In the eveda (see Wackernagel (1930), 103) forms in-doutnumber those in-dini by 3 to 2. The distribution is not arbitrary, there is stylistic and syntactie variation: the older ending in His favoured in formal, fixed locations; it also survives most readily in adjectives and particularly in past participles while in ours mainly in nouns (Renou (1952). 995). The two forms are frequently in juxtapositions in the formula
สายหล ห้องเรียน adj noun
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