Introduction to Ardhamagadhi

Author(s): A M Ghatage
Publisher: School & College Book Stall

Page 30

s. 22.]
20 In few cases, however, initial श, ष or स becomes छ. शाव = छाव young one; षट् = छ six ; सुधा = छुहा lime; शरु = छरु arrow; शिरा = छिरा vein; षट्पद = छप्पय bee; सप्तपर्ण - छत्तिवण्ण a kind of tree; शिवा = छिवा a kind of grass.
INITIAL CONSONANTS
This change of a sibilant into an affricate and that of y-, a palatal fricative, into j- a palatal affricate, both are due to the same tendency, to have a contact of the speech organs instead of a very close approximation, at the beginning of a word. Thus a fricative sound becomes an affricate. Pischel regards the first as a case of aspiration of the sibilant ($ 1 = sh = ch), while Johansson postulates alternative initials like & ( =s), sk ( = ch). A similar development of initial i into [z] is found in Greek.
21 Initial य = ज. यम = जम God of death ; युग जुग yoke ; याग = जाग worship; योग = जोग activity; यूथ = जूह herd ; युवन् = जुवा a youth ; यदि = जइ if; यथा - जहा as; यान = जाण cart ; युवराज = जुवराय prince; यात्रा = जत्ता march ; यज्ञ = जन्न sacrifice; युक्त 6 = जुत्त proper ; यूप=जूव sacrificial post ; योध = जोह warrior; यन्त्र = जन्त machine; यक्ष जक्ख demi-god; यमकसमक = जमगसमग together; याचित = जाइय begged; यौवन = जोव्वण youth; यादृश = जारिस like which.
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(a) Even when is preceded by a preposition like it is changed to न. संयोग संजोग union; संयम = संजम selfcontrol; संयुक्त = संजुत्त joined.
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2
(b) When यथा and यावत् form the first member of a compound they change their initial optionally to अ. यथासुखं अहासुहं, जहासुहं according to one's pleasure ; यथाश्रुतं - अहासुर्य, जहासुयं as heard ; यावत्कथा = आवकहा, जावकहा as long as one lives.
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Only in the older portions of AMg. is y- changed to a, while its change to j- is the usual one in later language. yāvat alone drops its initial y in some of its forms like avanti.
22 ASPIRATION OF INITIAL CONSONANTS
(i) Velars : क = ख: कुब्ज = खुज्ज dwarf ; कील - खाल peg ;