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162
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JUSE, 1909.
I will now sum up and illustrate the results of the great accent shift :(1) The lengthening of original final short vowels : -
In Gondi, which is the extreme North dialect, the accent had completely changed to the last syllable and every vowel is lengthened ; e. g. : -
Tam. virahu.wood' is in Goņņi vējugu. Tam. pulu. Tel. paru is Gondi prii. Tel. Tam. élu wisdom' is Goņdi é18. Tel. mrdnu 'tree' is in Goņdi mardni. Tel. illu "house' is in Gondi iddi Tel. kalu . Jeg' is in Gondi kádu. Examples may be multiplied, as almost every word has a long vovel at the end in Goņdi. (3) Dropping of initial vowels and contraction by metathesis :
This is characteristic of all the North Dravidian languages; and the words affected are mostly the unstressed post-positions and the propeminal forma; e.g.: -
Tam, of is in Tel. 18, in Groqdi lakin'.
Tam, ural is Tel. rólu. Tem. ilasu is in, Tel. létads 'tender.' Tam: ivan is Telugu ridu this man,' etc.
(3) Voicing of initial consonants, through lack of stress and also of medial ones. This is characteristio of All except the South Dravidian family, t., Tamil and Malayalam; and this change generally takes place when the initial consonants are followed by cerebrale, doubled consonants and liquids ; e. 9.:
Tam. Whil fear is digilu in Can., Ta, and Te. Tam, tatti screen' is daddi in Can., Ta, and Te. Tam, oftar is oddar in Can., Tu. and Te. (4) Pinal enunciative u : - This has been already explained in the general treatment of accent shift.
IV.. (1) The initiat a of Primitive Dravidian remains in all its dialects :
Tamil.
Tola.
Telaga.
ayalu ya adi ...
... agalu ... adi ...
...agalu. ... adega.
2
atte
ahal (extend) ... adi (foot)... attai (leech) atpam (obstruction) aral (flower) atti (fig).... ...
...agala ... adi ...
atte... ... addam ... arala
attam
... addamin.
arala.
aral
arala
6
atti
...atti ...
arti ...
... atti.
