Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c7.27

c7.27

We will now proceed to notice the changes of single consonants. An unaspirate is changed to an aspirate when it is followed in the same word by a sibilant; as in फरसु for परशु, फरस for परष, फुस्स for पुष्य, सुकुमार for सुकुमार, थुस, for तुष &c. The heavy *s'vāsa* that forms a constituent of the sibilant sound has made such a strong impression on the ear of the hearer, that he immediately prepares himself to let it out, and thus uses it even in pronouncing the letters which precede the sibilant and do not require it. The pronunciation of a word is rendered easier by transferring one of the elements of a sound to another or others, that is, by assimilating them to each other as much as possible. In a few instances the simple breath or *s'vāsa* of a previous surd is transferred to the following, originally a sonant, as in थकेति for स्थगयति. The cerebral unaspirated sonant ड between two vowels is softened into the corresponding semi-vowel ळ, as in ताळन for ताडन, पीळन for पीडन, तळाक for तडाक &c. This peculiarity distinguished the old Vedic Sanskrit also; and the sound exists in the modern Marâṭhî and Gujarâtî, though it is unknown to the other vernaculars.