Some Topics in the Development of OIA MIA NIA

Author(s): H C Bhayani
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 88

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av- 'come' > avā
khaḍ- 'pound' > khaṁḍā
These passive forms convey besides the sense of the subordinate status of the subject and of suffering or experiencing the action on the part of the subject, other shades of meaning also, of which (i) helplessness, (2) ability and (3) permissibility or appropriateness are the main.
4
Stative verbs used actively
1. -a- is a regular passive-formative suffix in Gujarati. The original basic meaning was to suffer or experience an action (or state etc.) as contrasted with the corresponding active meaning of doing. 'To experence' implies mostly 'to be subject to the experience of some feeling, sensation etc'., 'arising suddenly of some state or condition,' 'to experience a change of state or condition.' Thus the -ā- suffix began to be attached to verbal bases to convey the passive state as against active performance, the emphasis being on experiencing something or on becoming something. Consequently a new verbal construction came into use wherein these 'stative' verbs were used actively i.e. with the subject in the Nominative, agreeing with the verb. It may have started with the forming of denominatives from nouns or adjectives denoting mental or physical states.
Examples:
lobhāvũ 'be tempted', (< lobh 'greed')
akļāvu 'be impatient' (< ākļũ 'impatient')
samkocāvũ 'to contract' (< samkoc 'contraction')
khacka- (khacak) 'hesitate'
khamcă- 'hesitate'
khoṭkā- (khoṭko) 'be out of order'
gamdha- (gamdha) 'emit foul smell' guglā- 'be smothered'
ghava- (ghav) 'be wounded'