Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c7.32

c7.32

notice, and that the letter, as a whole, is difficult to pronounce. The vowel element of ऋ is pronounced by bringing the root of the tongue in contact with the root of the palate, *i. e.* in the position of the gutturals; and is unrepresented independently in the Sanskrit or Pâli Alphabet. Hence it is pronounced either lower down, in the position of अ, or higher up in that of इ, while it is sometimes carried so far to the outside as the position of उ, especially when a labial precedes. That the cerebral or र element did exist, and was occasionally preceived by the Pâli speakers is proved by such examples as रिते for ऋते and रुक्व for वृक्ष, and also by the circumstance that in some cases, though it disappears, it changes the following dental to a cerebral, as in वड्ढ for वृद्धि, विसट for विस्मृत, कट for कृत &c. From these observations it would appear that the vowel we have been considering must have been in those days pronounced just in the manner in which Marâthî Pandits of the present day pronounce it, and not like अर्, इर्, or र् as is supposed by several European scholars. If वृत्त were really घर्त, or मृग, मिर्ग, the Pâli corruptions would be घत्त or मिग्ग; and if सुकृत were सुक्रत, or तादृश, ताद्रिश we should have सुक्रत or तद्रिश instead of सुकत and तादिस, and there is no reason why ऋतु and ऋषि should have lost their र् and become उतु and इसि if they were really pronounced like रितु or रतु and रिषि or रषि.⁹