Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.10

c8.10

ing his first rule about the Mâgadhî dialect, *viz.*, that the nom. sing. of Masc. nouns takes the termination ए, he says:—"As to what the fathers have said about the Ârsha (works) being composed in the Ardha-Mâgadhî dialect in such words as these: 'the ancient Sùtra is composed in the Ardha-Mâgadhî dialect', they have said so in consequence of the observance of this rule and not of those that follow³. Thus if one chooses to call the sacred language of the Jainas Ardha-Mâgadhî on account of this Mâgadhî peculiarity and a few other archaisms, he may do so; and I shall presently have to observe that the great many dialects which writers on poetics give differed from each other in such insignificant particulars only. But it is clear that Hemachandra considers the distinction to be slight, and identifies the dialect with the principal Prâkṛit; and both he and the Jaina fathers refer it to the class of the Prâkṛits of the grammarians.⁴