A Comparative Grammar of the Modern Aryan Languages of India v1.c6.77

v1.c6.77

With regard to ब, it must be observed that in Prakrit there is much difficulty in distinguishing between it and व. It is not correct to say that they are quite identical, however, as some words are always written with व, others always with ब. Cowell, in his edition of Vararuchi, makes no distinction, putting both letters under व, and he is to a certain extent justified in this course by his author, who is very hazy on the subject. Bengali and Oṛiyā among the moderns are the only two languages which make no distinction between these two letters, but they make them both into ब. The only notion the Bengali or Oṛiya peasant has of *v* is that it is the same as *w*, which again is to him only *u* pronounced quickly between the two vowels (see what has been said on this subject in Chapter I. § 23). If we wish really to know which words ought to be spelt with *v* and which with *b*, we must go to the Marathi and Gujarati, which keep the two sounds distinct.