Introduction to Ardhamagadhi

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

Page 36

S. 34.]
MEDIAL CONSONANTS
23
32 About the use of a and 0, some convention is to be followed. A convenient way would be to write a initially: नाम name: नव new: नीति नीड policy: नेतानेया leader: Medial a should be cerebralised into 01: FH = eye ; 3770 = 305 favourable; 746 = Thut salutation; taas = 3TŪNT many ; Yaa = 7501 falling ; 070 = apurt gold; a = al pot face; HIT = Am pride. Medial or naturally remains : Tor group; don lute.
The change of medial n to n is well attested, both by the grammarians, the writers of Prākrit manuscripts and by the history of those modern languages which have preserved the distinction between dental and cerebral nasals, the western group. As regards the intial n some grammarians do not allow the cerebralisation wherein the paper MSS. of the Jain writers agree. Bloch expressed the opinion that initial n and medial geminated nn may have become later dental n in western languages. Moreover the graphic sign ņ may represent two distinct sounds, a cerebral nasal and a nasal spirant as in Gujarāti. In any case the medial sound must have been more feeble than the initial, a parallel to which can be found in the initial labial nasal m and its medial change into ō.
By a convention the editors write n everywhere in purely Māhārāştri works like Setubandha, Gaudavadha etc. But the practice of the Jain scribes to write initiallyn is followed in editing works in AMg. and JM. Jain has suggested that initial n became alveolar and was felt by some as dental and by others as cerebral.
33 Medial single q is changed to a : 19 = bra vanishing ; 19 = sila anger ; 3477 = 391 means ; I4C = futa country; aigh = arata ascetic; în = ca lamp; 1979t=falat thirst; 69=5a form ; ht=fit near; 419=919 sin; HETI = Helal king; atq=aia heat; T9=27 curse; qua= निवइ king. 5.34 Medial a becomes also a : pensare = wisate body; pops = morsel; aju=para headless trunk; fra = Papasta