Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c7.20

c7.20

The conjunct क्ष or क्ष् must in some cases have been pronounced in ancient times like क्श, as it is invariably so pronounced by the lower classes of the Marâthî people at the present day. This latter sound is easier to be made than क्ष्, first because the passage from the guttural position of क् to the palatal which is nearest to it is more natural than that to the more distant cerebral position of ष्, and also because in the latter case, after the guttural contact the tongue has to be rounded and the tip brought near the cerebral position. Thus, the whole weight of that organ has to be supported; while in the case of क् when its middle approaches the palatal position in pronouncing श, the forepart falls into a natural position, and no effort is required to hold it there. Now in this क्, the sound of श, being the latter of the two, is by the general rule more distinct than the other; and the complete contact of क् being transferred to it, it becomes च्, because sibilants are produced by heavy s'vāsa as the hard aspirates are, and thence च्छ; as in तच्छक for तक्षक, छण for क्षण in the sense of ‘a festival’, छद्र for क्षुद्र, &c. In such words as वत्स and अप्सरस्, the prevailing sound is that of स which, with the complete contact of the preceding त and प्, ought to become थ्, as श becomes छ in the above case, on the theory that स is a dental. But it is not properly a dental, since it is formed not at the root of the upper teeth as त, थ, द, &c. are, but considerably above, and not by the tip of the tongue but by a part of it further inwards, which is made into a curve, having its convex side upwards, and brought near to that position. In this last respect it resembles the palatals, though the part of the tongue employed in their case is still further inwards, *i. e.* the middle. The sibilant स therefore, has no mute corresponding to it in the sounds of the Sanskrit and Pâli languages. The Marâthî dento-palatals च्, छ्, ज्, झ् answer to it completely, being formed in the same position as itself; so that स, when the organic contact is complete, should become the Marâthî छ्. But these sounds are unknown to the Pâli; the speakers of that language could not pronounce the Marâthî dento-palatals, as the Gujarâtîs and other northern nations cannot at the present day and just as these turn them into pure palatals, so did their ancestors. Hence, that sound which should properly be the dento-palatal छ् become the palatal छ, and we have वच्छ for वत्स, अच्छरा for अप्सरस् and मच्छर for मत्सर.