Indian Antiquary Vol 62

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

Page 305

APRIL, 1933 )
IAV. E.
(1 240-242
240. esi. The short e of Eastern Hindi (see above) is in the colloquial form of speech often interchanged with i; thus, dekhis, as well as dékhes. So also in Lahndā. In the literary forms of H. and P. i is always written for e. See $ 220.
The change of i toe is easy when a guttural letter precedes or follows. This is the regular rule in the Urdū form of Hindi, when iis followed by h or by the Arabic h or'. Thus gih, this, pr. yeh ; mihnat, toil, pr. mehnat, i'timäd, trust, pr. e'timad. So also Sindhi sharo, such, pr. ehaso; mihit, a mosque, pr. mehet; as other examples we may quote
Skr.. Ap. vibhānuḥ, brilliant vihánū
H. EH. berán or bihán, dawn. mithunah, a pair mihunu
M. máhun. práthamam, first padhavili
G. péhlü, but others páihilā or pahlā.
Here in G. there has been metathesis
of i and a. bhágini, a sister báhipi
G. béhen, but H. bahin, P. bainh. báshirdkah, deaf báhirdu
G. béhero, but others báhirā, bahera. hitakah, a friend .
R. (Rondwāļi) hetū or hetū. (?) Cf.
P.G. hét, friendship. Occasionally i>e in unaccented syllables. Thus Skr.
Ap. vidámbayati, vidamvéi
H. berái or biçái; M. berávi. he mocks nimántrakam, nimanidu
H. néAta, P. néada. an invitation śrgálah, a jackal siálu
B. nedl or sidi, o. seál, sál. In L. unaccented i and e are interchangeable, as in á kkia or ákheä, said.
241. e<. See $ 170, and, for the change ai>ē>e, $ 180. As explained in § 180, this latter change is very common in Gujarāti, in which language ä and e are much confound. ed. For a list of words in G. containing this short e (which we might also write a) see LSI. IX. ii. 344. In some few of these words, the e does not reprosent an original ai, but is simply & shortening of an original e, the reason not being obvious. Thus dhen, a cow; den, a debt, in both of which the 2 was originally long, of. Skr. dhënu-, H. denā.
In Marathi (Kön.), we often find a Pr. e preserved, even when a compound consonant has been simplified. Thus, tel, oil (M. Pr. tella-); set, a field (M. Pr. chelta.); ek or ék, one (M.Pr. ekkr.) (LSI. VII, 167).
The Central Pahāri rule (800 $ 173) under which ¿>e when preceding a short vowel in the next syllable, should also be remembered in this connexion. Thus moro, not mēro, my. In some dialects of CPh. the short final vowel is dropped, but the e nevertheless remains short.
Note also that in Assamese every written é is pronounced as e. In other words, ēdoos not exist in that language.
242. In Dardic the evolution of follows much the same lines ms in the IAVs. In Kašmiri e is generally written ya, and is often pronounced Ve. A is also commonly pronounc. ed as e after the palatal consonants e, ch, j, k, and s. Thus, Skr. Vitastā, K. Veth, written Vyath, N. of a river; bene (Cf. G. béhen $$ 239, 240), a sister, written byata ; V cemak., written camak, shine :v chek-, written chak, scatter; jeld, quickly, written jald ; Sehalucold, written jahalMoreover in Kš. i and e are interchangeable. Uneducated Kašmiris, especially those of Srinagar, seem to be incapable of distinguishing between these two sounds, and even oducated men will say both bifi and bene, almost at random.
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