Indian Antiquary Vol 62

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

Page 332

$ 300-301 1
ON THE MODERN INDO-ARYAN VERNACULARS
[AUGUST, 1933
I; athi, for hathi, an elephant (LSI. IX, ii, 331). The same occurs in the Bhil dialects of G. which, like Western Pahari, show many traces of connexion with Dardic (LSI. IX, iii, 2, 158, &c.). In Panjabi and Lahnda we have khayina or khalina, to stand, derived from kharahōnā.
It will be remembered that there are traces of Dardic both in Marathi and in Western Pahari (§ 35).
300. In Dardic apheresis of consonants is much more common. Thus initial k is elided in Ar. qaht, famine, Gwr. hawat, As. awala, Paš. hawata-, wata, Bs. ot, åt, V. it, Wai. avot, hunger.
Skr. Av. V kar-, do, make; Kl. aro, Kh. ar-er, he made. Others retain the k.
Skr. jayate, he is born; Gwr. jai, Grw. yai, Ș aje; but Wai, oic, Kl. aya, Paš. ai, Trw. ai, a mother.
Skr. tvam, Av. tu; Bs. tiu, V. iyu, thou.
Skr. Av. pañca; V. uc, five. Here the p has been softened to w and then vocalized. Šiyni, Sarikoli (Talcah) Vyel-; Wai. Vatsh-, Bs. prets-, come.
Skr. haridra-; Ks. ledur", but Bs. adr, yellow. Here there has first been apheresis of h, and then apheresis of 1.
Skr. vimsati-, Av. visaiti-; Gwr. iši, V. zu, twenty. Cf. M. is in § 299.
Latin vespa, Russian osa; Bs. ušp-ik, a wasp; but Western Pahari (Jn.) bach, a hornet. Skr. hasta; Kš. ath", a hand. Prs. hamēša; Tir. mekha, always.
1 Morgenstierne (Aš. Gr.) derives this from Skr. abhukta.
301. Syncope of Skr. consonants was, of course, common in Pr. In Ap. (He. iv, 396; Mk. xvii, 2) most surds may optionally become sonants instead of suffering syncope, and universal elision is confined to sonants. We have nothing to do with this at present. Here we shall confine ourselves to syncope which occurs in the IAV. stage.
In Assamese a medial consonant followed by i is often elided. Thus sahite, pr. xoile (Cf. Ks. sut), with; kari, pr. koi, having done; nadi, pr. noi, a river; khujiche, pr. khuise, he wishes; bōlile, pr. buile, he said (LSI. V, i, 401). A medial consonant, especially a surd, is often elided in SE. Bengali (LSI. V, i, 292), especially when i follows. Thus, daio, for dakiō, call; aio, for asio, come; dua, for duba, a tank-hedge; deite, for dekhite, to see; beak, for bēbāk, all; haur, for svaśur, a father-in-law; khaiam, for khäiläm, I ate; and so others given in LSI.
In other languages such general rules cannot be laid down, but there are frequent instances showing that the Prakrit tendency to elide medial consonants is continued in the IAVs. In fact instances occur of the elision of a letter such as h, which is not elided in Pr. In the IAVs. the only instances noted by me are all sonant letters (including nasals and semi-vowels). No instance of the elision of surds has been noted. Nor has any instance of the elision of compound consonants (as in Skr, dhátri, AMg. Pr. dhái, IAV. dhai, Kš. day) been noted except in one or two sporadic cases. It will thus be seen that the IAVS. continue the Ap. rather than the Pr. tendency in this respect.
The letter g is elided in the NWIAVs. in one very common word, which gives rise to some confusion to the learner. In most IAVs. the Vle-; take, compounded with änä, to come, forms a compound läni, meaning to take and come, i.e., to bring. In Sindhi, Lahnda, and Western Pahari the la- has an altogether different meaning. It signifies 'apply' and is connected with the H. Vlagaw- or Vlaga-. This latter is the causal of the lag-, which is derived from Skr. lagyate, Pr. laggai. Hence Vlagaw has to be referred to a Pr.. laggavei. The infinitive form of this root in the NW. is S. lağain" or lain", L. lawan (causal
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