Sound Synthesis in Indo European Indo Iranian and Sanskrit

Author(s): Satya Swarup Mishra
Publisher: Ashutosh Prakashan Sansthan

Page 36

18
SQUND SYNTHESIS IN IE, TIR & SANSKRIT
4) Sometimes the preceding secondary vowel became syllabis cum consonantal even when it was followed by a similar secondary vowel. Thus } +ř (which normally became i) could also become iy-t, +å>uw-ă, + > rr-etc., although such forms were evidently quite rare, being avoided from the earliest stage. IE dhi ti>dhiyi cp Skt (loc) dhiyi, Ģk kit (dat)
(beside forms like Skt (vd) sarasi (RV VIII 103.2) < sarasi ti, showing IE *+7>i).
10. Law of Relative Syllabicity and Vowel Synthesis.
Some varitions in sandhi seem to have been effected by the law of relative syllabicity. IE sounds differ from each other on the basis of their relative strength to form a syllable. To take for examples in order of strength : alelo, isu, ill, min. This sometimes disturbed other rules. Despite the general pattern of loss of syllabicity of the preceding syllable, sometimes the syllabicity is retained, if the sound is more powerful than the following sound to retain syllabicity.
Therefore beside IE owy-m (cp Skt (vd) ayyam, IB also shows the more frequent form owim (cp Skt qvim Gkg bin etc.). Similarly beside owyňs (Skt avyah) IE shows owi-ns (Skt avin). Besides Gk téttara (<q"etwr ta) cp pisura (<quetur +-a).