Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.48

c8.48

The semivowel य is often softened to इ, as in विअण for व्यजन, विलिश्र for व्यलीक, थीण for स्त्यान, उव्वीढ for उद्‌यूढ, जीआ for ज्या, &c. Here the effort necessary to bring the middle of the tongue closer to the palate is economized, while the position of the organs in other respects is the same. The य of the conjunct य is sometimes softened in this way to इ and sometimes to इअ. In the former case the resulting इ is transferred to the previous syllable and forms ए with the अ contained in it; as in पे्रन्त for पर्यन्त, अच्छेर for आश्चर्य, बम्भचेर for ब्रह्मचर्य, सुन्देर for सौन्दर्य, &c. Similarly व is changed to उ as in झुणी for ध्वनि, वीसुं for विश्वक्, गउओ for गवय, सुवइ for स्वपिति, दु for द्वि, &c.