Indian Antiquary Vol 61

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 408

$$ 162-163 )
ON THE MODERN INDO-ARYAN VERNACULARS
[ August, 1932
In Dardic the same apocope of final vowels occurs as in the LAVs. For examples, see Ps. L. There is also apparent apocope of final u due to epenthesis, in words such as K. uddur, a monkey, for uddaru. The same occurs in L, in words like jangul, a forest, for jangalu. These will be discussed under the head of epenthesis (164).
Metathesis. 162. Metathesis of vowels occurs only in sporadic instances in the IAVs. When it occurs, one of the vowels is most often u. Cf. P. viñchuo, for *vifichio, Skr. tbcilal, a scorpion. IAV. examples are
nhái
snáti, he bathes
most LAVs. rnha-or nhāv-, but M. V náhhárini, a deer
hárini
H. hiran. ángulikā, a finger
ángulia
H.B. fg'li or águli, but EPh. aalo. lághuḥ, light
hálu
H. luulē, slowly. vástu, a thing
B.EH. (Ch.) 8Ts. bátus, a thing. ulkā, a torch
. lúka, H. luk, lūk, lüh, lu, hot wind. binduh, a drop
bindú
G.P.L. bund, S. bede, others bed. In the last case, the change of i to u was probably influenced by the preceding b.
In Dardic instances have been noted of the metathesis of u in Bš. styur, V. ištiur, Av. våtro-, a camel ; V. iuri, Wai. ürei, Skr. rūpa-, silver; Bš, kuri or krúi, a dog. We have metathesis of ē in Bš. atêr, Av. antara, within.
Epenthesis or Umlaut. 163. Closely connected with Metathesis is Vowel-Epenthesis or Umlaut, i.e., a vowel-change brought about by the influence of a vowel in a succeeding syllable. In the IAVs. the vowel which thus influences a preceding vowel is always either unaccented i or unaccented u. This epenthesis is almost entirely confined to the OUIAVs, and IIAVs.
We shall first take epenthesis of unaccented i. This is not uncommon. We see the first stage in what is really metathesis of i, in Assamese, Eastern Bengali, dialectic Bihari, and colloquial Gujarāti. Thus -
A.sTss, bákya, a word, pr. báikya or báik ; xüny, empty, pr. xúinya or huin; ánya, another, pr. binya or oin. In these, and other similar sTss., the y is first vocalized to i. See LSI., V, 400.
EBg. and SEBg. káūrā for káriya, having done ; &úinbār for túnibar, on hearing, and other similar forms (LSI., V, i, 203).
B. (Bh.) Nagpuriyā sub-dialect, spoken in south Chota Nagpur, káir-ke, for kári-ke, having done; moir-ke for mári-ke, having killed ; and so for other conjunctive participles (LSI., V, ii, 281).
Some writers distinguish between Umlaut' and 'Epenthesis,' confining the latter to vowel-inser tion not caused by a vowel in the succeeding syllable. I follow Brugmann (Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik, 1, 479) in treating thom as orsentially identical.
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