Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.15

c8.15

4. The only specific grounds one can find in Prof. Weber's book in support of the assertion that the Jaina dialect occupies a middle position are these:—1. That uninitial क्, ग्, च्, ज्, त्, द् and other consonants are dropped in the Mahârâshṭrî leaving only the vowel, and preserved or softened in the Pâli, while in the Jaina books य is substituted for them; *i. e.*, the different stages of phonetic corruption in this case are, the consonants in their original or softened forms, then य for them, and lastly their elision. 2. That न is preserved in the Pâli, and changed everywhere to ण in the Mahârâshṭrî; while in the Jaina dialect initial न remains unchanged except in enclytics. 3. That the loc. sing. of nouns in अ ends in सिं or सि which we find in the language of the column inscriptions; while it is स्मि and म्हि in the Pâli and म्मि in the Prâkṛit. Now as to the first, the य is not prior to the elision, but contemporaneous or subsequent to it, being found even in the modern vernaculars. It was introduced simply to facilitate pronunciation; *i. e.*, it is a strengthened form of the vowel. Thus the Prâkṛit of पाद foot is पाउ, but in Marâṭhî we have पाय; so राजन् Skr., राअ Pr., राय H.; सोदर Skr., सोअर Pr., सोयरा M., &c. &c. The य occurs not only in Jaina books, but everywhere in the Gaudavadhakâvya; and Hemachandra does tell us in his sûtra अवर्णो यश्रुतिः that the अ that remains after the elision of a consonant is pronounced like a soft य. With regard to the second, initial न is found unchanged in the Gaudavadha in a great many places. Thus in stanza 242 we have the negative particle न, in 241 निवइ for निपतति, in 245 नाह for नाथ, and in 251 नह नख. These instances I have found on simply opening the Ms, at random; and no great search But it is in the dramatic plays that we find these dialects principally used. Writers on Poetics prescribe that a particular dramatic person should speak a particular dialect. Sanskrit is assigned to respectable men of education, and women in holy orders; Śaurasenī, to respectable ladies in their prose speeches, and the Mahārāṣṭrī or the principal Prākṛit, in the songs or verses put into their mouths. Śaurasenī is also assigned to inferior characters; and the Māgadhī and Paiśāchī to very low persons. The general rule is that a dramatic person should speak the language of the country to which he or she is supposed to belong. Later writers give more minute rules. For