Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.55

c8.55

Opposed to this process of assimilation is dissimilation. When the same vowel occurs in two successive syllables, it is felt to be burdensome, and hence a dissimilar vowel is substituted for it in one of the two. We have thus बहेडअ for विभीतक, सढिल for शिथिल, पुहवी for पृथिवी, मउल, मउड and मउर for मुकुल, मुकुट and मुकुर, भिउडी for भ्रुकुटी, पुरिस for पुरुष, निडर or नेडर for नूपुर, दुअल्ल for दुकूल, सोअमल्ल for सौकुमार्य, अगरु for अगुरु, गलोइ for गुडूची, and गरुअ for गुरुक. The words अङ्गुदी and हरडई for इङ्गुदी and हरीतकी must also be considered as instances of the same law, though another syllable intervenes between the two containing the same vowel. Instances of this process must necessarily be few, since there are not many words containing the same vowel in successive syllables. But we have got so many here, that the substitution of a dissimilar vowel in such cases may be considered a general characteristic of the Prâkrits. It will also be seen that in these instances, अ is subsituted for इ throughout, and for उ mostly; so that these may also be considered as instances in which the most open sound अ was preferred by the Prâkrit speakers to इ or उ, as involving less exertion.