Indian Antiquary Vol 62

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

Page 294

$$ 205-208 )
ON THIE MODERN INDO-ARYAN VERNACULARS
JANUARY, 1933
As for Dardic languages, I have not noted the sound in Kāšmiri, but it occurs in Şiņā, where it is freely interchanged with a, as in vrag- or pås-, see. When original, it seems to follow the same development as in the IAVs., as in mărõiki, to slay, å8, today, corresponding to IAV. V mir- and to āj respectively.
205. IAV.å. This letter represents the sound of a in 'call.' As a rule it stands for å or a when epenthetically modified by a following u-mātrā or by u, but is sometimes more independent in origin. Its corresponding short sound is o, q.v.
<a. In Bengali the vowel a is generally pronounced o, but in EBg. it is pronounced as å (LSI, V, i, 30, 224). Thus mănuşur, pr, manusar, of a man; ghar, pr. ghår, a house. We also hear a very similar sound in Assamese, where a is described as sometimes having the sound of the o in glory,' especially when followed by i or u, as in kari, pr. almost kåri, to do; garu, pr. almost gåru, an ox (LSI. V, 1, 399). The change of a >à also occurs in the Bhil forms of G. (LSI, IX, iii, 11), where we have, e.g., påg, for pag, a foot; pån, for pan, but.
206. å <ā. In some parts of India, ā is commonly pronounced, with a broad, intonation, as å. Thus in the Punci form of Northern Lahndā we have gēnå for gēnā, going, cahni for câhni, desirable; jana ni for janāni (zanāna), a woman; sätán for tätän, Satan; på ni for pāni, water; nen for neå, we are; giră for gira, a village, mārna for mārnā, thou wilt strike. So also in some forms of Bhil Gujarāti páni, water; à kh, an eye. Again in the Bāgri Rājasthāni spoken in the south-east Panjab, every à is pronounced å, written indifferently à or 7. Thus, kå kå, an uncle, for kākā, &c. (LSI, IX, ii, 148), and in Mārwāri Rājasthāni a, the termination of the obl. pl. is pronounced å, as in ghoda, by horses. A similar broadening is observable in northern Gujarāti (LSI. IX, ii, 394), where we have kår (karnal), an ear; tsädo for cãdo, the moon; pani, for pāni, water, and so on.
207. å <au, &c. This is regular in Bihāri in the 2nd. pl. of verbs, as in B. (Mth.) márabåh, (Bh., Mg.) mărbà, both<*mărbahu, and also in the case of special words as in Bhr håv., be, for rhau-. It is very common in Gujarati. For a list of the words containing this vowel, see LSI, IX, ii, 345. It will be seen that the à (written 7 in the G. character) is generally a contraction of au, ao, or ava, as in Skr, ka pardah, Ap. kavaddu, a cowry, G. kåda, cowries ; Skr. aparah, Ap. avaru, G. år, another; H. kaun, G. kan, who ?: H. cauk, G. cák, a quadrangle; H. daul, G. dål, shape; Skr. navami, G. nam, the ninth day of a lunar fortnight ; Skr. pratöli, G. pål (M. põl, pau!), a street. Sometimes however, this G. å has other origins, as in såt (Skr. sahitam, cf. Kš. silti), with ; kaal (Skr. kokilah), a cuckoo. Again in Northern Panjābi au is pronounced as d with a short u-sound after, so that cauthi, fourth (fem.) is sounded ca "thi (see T. G. Bailey, Grammar of Panjābi 98 spoken in the Wazirābād District, p. 1). Similarly in Central Pahāļi always, and in Western Pahāri often. au is pronounced as å, so that bhaul, much, rhymes with English caught' (LSI. IX, iv. 114).
å <au, &c. In IAV. we find this typical Dardic change in Lahnda in the case of the epenthetic à in words like våkur, a bull, &c. See $ 105.
208. In Dardic, as in central Asia and certain dialects of Paxto, the sound of à is common. It is always derived from an å followed by or v. In Kāšmiri a regularly takes this form when followed by u or u-1ātrā, as in mālu (pr. mål"), a father ; lay" (pr. båy'), a brother; thakur (pr. thakur), an idol. Cf. $ 104. Similarly, Av, giv, a cow, Bašgali gåo; Bě. brå (Cf. K. bay above), a brother; Av. ap., Bš, ko, water.
In Şină the sound is rare. Lorimer (S.Ph. 10) quotes å re, without; odår, a mortar : and yár, a mill. Some people sometimes substitute å for o, as in kå i for koi, a cap; kår for kor, a virgin.
The sound doubtless ocours in other Dardic languages, but at present the spelling adopted for transcribing most of them is so uncertain, that I do not venture to give examples from languages other than K., Bš, and ş.
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