Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.53

c8.53

Another process which transforms the words of a language is assimilation. We have already discussed the assimilation of the members of a conjunct and of the diphthongal sounds ऐ and औ, and will now consider the application of the process to the different syllable, composing a word. The अ of the second syllable of ईषत्, वेतस्, and कृपण, is changed to इ, because the vowel in the first is इ or ए, the ऋ of कृपण being changed to इ; and we have ईसि, वेडिस, and किविण. Similarly, the अ of मरिच and वल्ली, and the इ of इक्षु are changed to इ, ए, and उ through the influence of the following इ, ई, and उ; and the forms are मिरिअ, वेल्ली, and उच्छु. Sometimes, when य as a member of a conjunct is changed to a palatal, it influences the preceding vowel and brings it over to its own position, as in सेज्जा for शय्या, मज्झिम for मध्यम, गेज्झ for ग्राह्य, &c. An original palatal also produces similar effect, as in जिमइ or जेमइ for जमति. In the words पुढम for प्रथम, पोम्म for पद्म, and ओप्पेइ for अर्पयति, the adjoining vowel is changed to उ to make it go easily with the labial प. You will observe that it is अ that yields so readily to the influence of an adjoining letter, because in pronouncing it no movement of the tongue is necessary. It is sounded by letting off náda or intonated breath, without offering any obstruction to it; and this current gives rise to the different vowels when it is obstructed in various degrees by various movements of the tongue and the lips; so that if the organic position of the previous consonant remains a little longer, or if the following is begun a little earlier, the अ current assumes the form that that position gives it. An aspirate or an aspirated mute existing in a word influences an adjoining vowel or a consonant; that is, the heavy breath that is necessary for the utterance of the aspirate mingles itself with the other sounds also. Thus कासित becomes खासिअ ; परुष, फरुस ; परिघ, फलिह ; परिखा, फलिहा ; पनस, फणस ; and बिसिनी, भिसिणी, in which instances क्, प् and ब् are changed to ख्, फ्, and भ्. In other cases the heavy breath is transferred to an adjoining vowel which becomes ह्; as in फलिह for स्फटिक, निहस for निकष, विहत्थी for वितस्ति, वसही for वसति, भरह for भरत, in which cases by the dropping of the mute we should have, but for this heavy breath, फलिअ, निअस, विअत्थी, वसई, and भरअ. The words सटा and शकट become सढा and सअढ, the द् resulting from the transference of the heavy breath being softened to ढ.