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HISTORICAL PHONOLOGY
37
The new pl. -o is suffixed to these sets. All the pl. forms of the above sets could be followed by this pl. suffix, in New Gujarati. m. pl. forms such as ghodā-7, (and also the general feature of all post-positions that they could occur after the obl. form or the pl. form) led to the extension of oblique -ā- to inst. loc. also, and the inst. loc. sg. pl. altered to ghodā-e.
It should be noted that the usage of double plural like ghoda-o, māthă-o is more literary and has not spread much; pl. -o is a newly spreading innovation and is limited to parts of Northern and Central Gujarat; here also it alternates freely with its absence. Similarly, the extension of oblique -ā- to inst. loc. is also restricted to the above class and region; here also, it alternates freely with its absence.
This new pl. -o is replacing the -a pl. from Northern Gujarat (originally a n. pl. -āni > -ā but extended to m. pl. also ) and -u pl. from the dialects of Saurashtra (the source of this pl. is doubtful; it may be an original f. pl., extended later to other genders, cf. Pk. f. nouns ending -ā with pl. inflection would be -ão > āu; but the nasal in New Guj. cannot be explained; -ū pl. is also shared, along with the dialects of Saurashtra, by Kacchi-Sindhi and Panjabi ).
5.80. The entry of pl. -o can be well settled by internal evidence from New Gujarati. In new Gujarati, the alternation of a ~zero is morphologically conditioned (This -a- which was penultimate -a- in the earlier stage has now become -a- in the final closed syllable). The alternation is :
-a-> zero if it is followed by a vowel -a-> -a- if the following vowel is the pl. morpheme-o.
Thus magan proper noun', magno derogatory form of that proper noun'. magano pl. of magan.
nāšak drama' nātki dramatic', but nātako dramas', balak (male) child', balki 'female child' but bāla ko'children'.
Moreover, prepenultimate-a-in the earlier stages is retained, thus, in the verb paradigm atke, atakie the alternation atk-ațak is phonologically systematic. But now, there are pl. forms such as garbi f. sg. garbio (OG *garabau > garabo > garbo m..a ceremonial dance'), vāțki f. sg. vātkio (OG *vāțakau > vāțako > vatko m..cup'). In some cases of pl. there is an alternation between -a- ~ zero : chokro m., chokri f. but chokrio ~ chokario; vãdrom, vādri f. but vädrio - vădario. This alternation suggests the analogical influence of nouns with -io suffixes which belong to the earlier stage; in these instances of nouns with -io, -a- is regularly retained because it is pre-penultimate : sāmal-darkish', samalio one who is dark i. e. lord Krsna', murat auspicious hour' muratio bridegroom'.
This evidence indicates that the pl -o is introduced after the penultimate -a-> zero has worked out. Moreover, literary evidence also shows the usage of -o pl after 18th century.13
13. The source of this -o is not clear. It could have been an extension of a late MIA Voc. pl. -aho, -40 which would develop in Proto Guj. to -au. It is used as a voc. pl. in Old Guj. in the following sentence : aho herakau! bhujāgarvi garvitü chai bhupati'o spies! the king is proud due to the strength of his arms'. In New Guj. voc. pl. (though rarely used ) is -o; thus-o may have extended to other case suffixes. This extension, then, must take place after the penultimate -8- > zero has worked out, (of. Tessitori L. P. Notes on Old Western Rajasthani' Indian Antiquary $65-67 ).
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