Indian Antiquary Vol 43

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 29

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FEBRUARY, 1914.] NOTES ON GRAMMAR OF THE OLD WESTERN RAJASTHANI
Rajasthani period, which have been available to me, are unfortunately undated and, till further evidence is produced, it is impossible to fix any definite limits. Of one thing I am certain: that Modern Gujarati cannot commence with Narasingha Mehetâ, as is commonly stated. This poet having been born in the year 1413 A. D., was contemporary with Padmanabha, who wrote his Kanhadêprabandha, in the year 1456, and it is therefore plain that Narasingha Mehetâ too must have written in the same form of Old Western Rajasthani as Padmanabha did. That the songs of the former appear now to be couched in a form of language very near to Modern Gujarati, does not affect the question, for it is quite natural that they were in due course modernized during the 450 years, through which they have come down to us. Judging from the fact that the Old Western Râjasthâni poems, which are known to be dated from the fifteenth century, exhibit a language, which must be at least 100 years older than that of the later Old Western Rajasthânî MSS.-even allowing for the antiquated forms which are commonly employed in poetry,-I have no difficulty in holding that the Old Western Rajasthâni period must have lasted at least as long as the end of the sixteenth century. But it is very probable that Old Western Rajasthânî reached beyond this limit; anyhow some of its characteristics certainly did. The passing of one language into another being always effected through gradual steps, it is natural that, whenever the older language is made to finish and the younger one to commence, some of the features of the former must be found in the early stage of the latter and likewise some of the features of the latter in the ultimate stage of the former. Confining myself to Gujarati, which is more faithful to the Old Western Rajasthani tradition and better known than Marwari, I would take the following as the principal characteristics marking its existence independent from the Old Western Rajasthânî:
1 Contraction of the vocalic groups ai, ai into é, ô. Ex.: kare (<karai), iratô1 (<ratuii). 2 Substitution of a for i, u, in open syllables. Ex.: trana (<trinni), dahado (<dihaḍla), bapa lo (<bapuḍan).
3 Tendency to shorten the long vowels a, i, . Ex.: athade (<athalai), visare (<visarai), upari (<ipari).
4 Elision of between vowels or after nasals. Ex.: bino (<bihanai), deri(<dehurù), evo (<ehava"); ame (<amhe), ûnilo (<ünhila). It is, however, to be observed that in most of such cases the h-sound, though disappeared in writing, is still slightly heard in pronounciation. Cf. the list of words quoted by Sir George Grierson, Op. cit., p. 347 ff.
5 Substitution of for 8, when the latter was originally followed by i> y. Ex.: karaçe (<karisyai), ço (<sya).
6 Cerebralisation of 1, when derived from a medial singlel of the Apabhrança. Ex.: male (<milai). This process had probably begun since the earliest Old Western Rajasthani stage, but in no MS. of the latter language the 7-sound is distinguished from l.
7 Loss of the strong form -au in the nominative singular neuter and substitution of the weak form -ũ.
8 Introduction of the element -o-, as a characteristic of the plural.
9 Loss of the termination -au of the first person plural present indicative and future, and substitution of -ie in the former and - in the latter case.
10 Substitution of the potential passive in -âya for the original passive in -ijai, -iai. The information, contained in the present "Notes," is chiefly derived from Jaina MSS. belonging to the Indian Collection in the Regia Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale of Florence (Italy). Beside these, however, I have also utilized two Jaina MSS. of the India Office Library, which have been accessible to me through the kindness of the Librarian, Dr. F. W. Thomas, two Jaina MSS, kindly procured to me by the munirâj Crî Vijaya Dharma Sâri, and also all the printed materials, hitherto available on the subject and already referred to in the preceding pages. The following is a list of the chief sources of my information, alphabetically arranged under abbreviated titles. Works in prose are distinguished from those in poetry by an asterisk placed before the title. Florentine MSS. are indicated by F followed by a number, which corresponds to the progressive number under which they are
12 For the sake of simplification, I shall henceforth leave unmarked the quantity of e o.