Indian Antiquary Vol 62

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

Page 342

3322-323)
ON THE MODERN INDO-ARYAN VERNACULARS
(OCTOBER, 1933
skr.
In Hindi, Eastern Pahāri, Eastern Hindi, Bihāri, Bengali, and Assamese ~ has disappeared, the only sound heard being n, though n is often written in Tss. In Oriya (which is influenced by Dravidian, in which is a common sound) Marathi, Gujarati, Central and Western Pahāri, Panjābi, Lahndā, and Sindhi the last named Pr. rule is followed. Here an initial n is always dental, and a medial n is cerebral n if it represents a Pr. medial n, but is dental n if it repre. sents a Pr. medial nn. The change of n > n thus follows the same rule as the change of 1>!, and occurs in the same languages, except that S. has ~, while it has not got! (see $ 316). There are hardly any exceptions to these rules. We may mention G. bên, not bên, a sister, and M. G. P. man, S. man', mind. As the rules are universal, one example of each case will be sufficient. Initial n or n Skr.
Ар. námi, a name návu or náðu IAV. não, &c. Medial n Skr.
Ар. pāniyam, water pāniyu H. EH. Bg. A. páni, B. páni ; O. M. G. R. WPh. P.S.
páni, CPh. pắni, L. paņi. Medial nn
Ap. páram, a leaf pánnu IAV. pán, exc. 0. pána, P. L. pánna, s. pán", in
various meanings connected with leaf. It may be noted that ņ also occurs in the Eranian Pasto, spoken immediately to the west of Lahndā. We occasionally find the sound of n represented by ! So, often in Lahndā and almost universally in Bažgali Käfir ($325). In the Kharia Thăr dialect of Bengali, bordering on Orissa, we also find this sound written in this way, as in maraş, for manus, a man; sūri, for suni, having heard ; and mūriş, for munis, a servant (LSI. V, i, 91).
322. Turning now to special cases, we may note that in Assamese no distinction in pronunciation is made between cerebrals and dentals. Possibly Tibeto-Burman influence is here at work. We shall see that dentals are confounded with cerebrals in Dardie. The same is the case with Gujarāti dialects (LSI. IX, ii, 438), in which they are interchanged almost ad libitum. It is also very common in Sindhi (Bhn. 183 ; Bs. Cp. Gr. 337). In the Khēträni dial. of Lahnda dentals are often changed to cerebrals, and in the Thali dial. d regularly becomes d (L. Gr. 2). For Marāthi, see FLM. $ 119. There can be no doubt that the local Indo-Aryan dialects of the North-West show a strong tendency to cerebralize dentals, or, at least, to confuse the two. This dates from early times, for Mārkandēya (xviii, 5), in his account of the Vrācada Apabhramsa spoken in Sindh, gives a universal rule that, in that form of Prakrit, initial t and d may optionally become and d, respectively. We thus see that Dārdie influence has also extended over the North-West in this respect.
323. With regard to Dardio, the general rule seems to be that, as in Eranian languages (P.L. 17) no distinction is made between cerebrals and dentals. The exact nature of the sounds represented by t and d is, however, a matter of some doubt. Not every observer is, competent to recognize the sounds with certainty, and even when such observers are available, their reports are contradictory. As regards Bažgali, Davidson says (Bš. Gr. xii) that he often found it impossible to decide whether in certain words an r or a t was cerebral or dental, and he adds that the same difficulty was experienced by one Azimullāh, a Naik in the Panjāb infantry. It is probable that, as a general rule in these languages, the sound of t and d is alveolar, but only for Sinā has the question been thoroughly discussed. According to $. Ph. $ 27, 30, 56, 69, in that form of speech the sounds represented by t and d are ordinarily alveolar,
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