Indian Antiquary Vol 62

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

Page 300

$ 2268-2266]
ON THE MODERN INDO-ARYAN VERNACULARS
FEBRUARY, 1933
of u-matrā is disguised by the system of spelling. Thus gěőbhur, a son, is really for göbhart (Cf. Kš. wädur, &c., in $ 164).
In Dardic itself u-mātra has only been noted in Kašmiri, in which it is extremely common. As already said all masculine nouns with i-bases end in it in the sg. nom., and this class is the most important in the language, corresponding to the strong nouns of the IAVs. Also a number of nouns, of which wädur, already mentioned, is the type, with a bases had originally a final u-mātrā (see $ 164), and are even now often so written, e.g. uädur. All strong adjectives and all past participles also end in u-mātrā, as in ", good; bìth", sat. For the epenthetic effect on a preceding vowel, see $5 126 and 164.
226a. IAV. #. This generally represents a Prakrit u, see $ 190. There are, however, as usual, exceptions, for which see the following sections,
In Dardic, there is observable a tendency to pronounce an intervocalic u or u as if it were preceded by y (sometimes written i), exactly as, in such English words as singular,' or duty,' we say singyular,' dyuty. This insertion of a y-sound is most easily observ. able in Bašgali, where we have such words as tu or tiu, thou (cf. Veron iyu), and du or diu, two; but, as we shall see, it is also found in Kāšmiri and Khowār, and not improbably it will be discovered in other members of the group when they have been more thoroughly investigated. For further examples, see $296.
In Kasmiri, the reverse process,-i.e., a yż optionally becoming is also not uncommon. In such cases, the y is a secondary formation from for, which, by epenthesis, has become yu owing to a following u-matrā (§ 126). Examples are cir" (pronounced cyür") or cūr", squeezed ; sögu (pr. syūš") or sug", the lungs; ser* (pr. & yür), repaired; tizu (pr. tyuz") or tuzu, a radish; dir (for drir") (pr. dyūr", for dryūr) or drür, glue; kig" (for krir) (pr. kyūru, for kryūr") or krür", a well. In the last two we see that Kašmiri has the same difficulty in pronouncing yū after r that exists in English, where, e.g., we say 'rule' (not ryule ') and crude' (not cryude ').
With cyür" given above, in which the y is due to epenthesis, we can compare the K. chor (pr. chūr") or chyür", released, in which the y is not epenthetic, but follows the main rule of the optional insertion of y before ă, as given above. Such cases are necessarily scme. what rare in Kš., in which language a Tadbhava & generally becomes, as explained in $ 193.
In Kašmiri, there is a further complication due to the rule that, save in exceptional circumstances, a Tadbhava ty or dy becomes zetacized to ts or 2, respectively ( 326). We have seen that, in Bašgali, an original tù, thou, has become tiu or tu, and that an original dü, two, has become diu or du. In Kš., owing to this rule of zetacism, there is a still further change. The word for thou' is tú > tyü > tsü, and finally ts(h) (193), and the word for two' is dū>dyū > zū, and finally 2"(h) ($ 193). We see a similar change in Khāwār, in which the word for two' is jü, evidently derived from dū, through *dya. 226b.u<a, a (Cf. Pr. Gr. & 111). This is specially common in Bg. and O. Thus :Skr.
Ар. vsthap., to place
r thāv.
Bg. rthusálmalih, silk-cotton
să mari
Bg. simul tree agnih, fire
Bg.Ts. aguni (through *agani). múdgaraḥ, a elub moggaru
Bg. múgur. háridrā, turmeric
haládda
Bg. hálud. pátah, cloth
patákkau
Bg.O. páțukā, a garment. vátrah, a calf
vacchadu
Bg.o. bachur. vinganah, the egg vinganau
Bg.o. bágun, B. báīgun. plant
114