Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c11.2

c11.2

The case terminations are in the majority of the languages applied not to the original noun itself but to a certain modified form of it called the oblique form or by the native Marâṭhî grammarians the Sâmânya-rûpa or the common form because it is used in all the cases. There are two Sâmânya-rûpas for the two numbers. In the old languages plurality is expressed by independent terminations but the new terminations of the modern languages being the same for both numbers plurality is denoted by a distinctive oblique form. Some of the modern languages that have no Sâmânya-rûpa have recourse to a novel way of expressing plurality. Of all the vernaculars it is the Marâṭhî that is most particular in the formation of the oblique and has minute rules. Sindhî comes next, then the Hindî and the Panjâbî; after these the Gujarâtî and lastly the Bangâlî and the Oriyâ, which may be said to have no oblique form at all.