A Comparative Grammar of the Modern Aryan Languages of India v1.c7.3.4

v1.c7.3.4

Now the modern Tadbhavas in the Indian languages differ very little more from Sanskrit, and sometimes not so much as ‘unallowed’ from ‘unalyfedes,’ ‘dree’ from ‘throwian,’ ‘next’ from ‘nihsta,’ or ‘fain’ from ‘fagenian.’ It must be remembered that the earliest of modern Tadbhavas, dating from the wane of Buddhism, are about contemporaneous with Alfred, while early Tadbhavas are of course far more ancient. It is necessary to bear this in mind, because some writers have asserted that the modern Indian languages have deviated far more widely from their primitive type than the European languages, and have argued from thence that the former are now more hopelessly corrupted and confused than the former. It may be replied that the rate at which development has proceeded seems to be the same in both cases, and that climatic influences, while they determine the direction of that development, do not accelerate it. When we find an Indian word much more extensively changed than we can produce a parallel for in European languages, the reason is generally to be found in the fact that the process has been going on for a much longer time in India than in Europe. Certain it is that some of the Prakrits exhibit at times extreme forms of corruption, but reasons have been given for doubting whether these Prakrits were ever spoken;