Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.59

c8.59

The remarks I have hitherto made apply to the Mahârâshtrî or the principal Prâkrit. The Śaurasenî differs from it in but a few particulars. It does not drop त and थ but softens them into द and ध, as in पुरिद, मारुदि, तथा, नाथ, &c., for पूरित, मारुति, तथा, नाथ, &c. The conjunct न्त is often changed to न्द, as in निचिन्दो, अन्देउर for निश्चिन्त, अन्तःपुर, &c. In addition to these peculiarities, in the Mâgadhî the र and म of the principal Prâkrit are represented by ल and श, as in नल, कल, शालश, पुलिश, for नर, कर, सारस, पुरुष, &c. The म् of a conjunct is not assimilated but preserved, and the ष changed to स्, as in पस्खलदि हस्ती for प्रस्खलति हस्ती, शुष्क दालु for शुष्क दारु, कस्ट for कष्ट, &c. The double द् and the conjunct ष्ट are changed to स्ट, and स्थ and थ्य to स्त; द and थ being thus softened to द and त. Thus we have हस्तालिका for भट्टारिका, सुस्टु for सुष्ठु, उवस्तिद for उपस्थित, शस्तवाह for सार्थवाह, &c. The consonant ज् whether original or derived, as in the Prâkrit corruptions of य or र्य, was pronounced lightly, that is softened to य, as in याणादि for जानाति, अय्य for अब्य &c. The conjuncts ज्ञ, न्य, and ण्य are, as before mentioned, changed to न्न्, as in Pâli; and च्छ to श्च, as in गश्च, पुश्च for गच्छ, पृच्छ, &c. The क्ष of प्रेक्ष and चक्ष is changed to स्क, as in पेस्कदि for प्रेक्षते and आचस्कदि for आचक्षते. In the Pais'âchî, the changes of single consonants that we have noticed in the case of the Mahârâshtrî and Śaurasenî do not take place; that is, the consonants are not dropped or softened, nor are they transformed by the process of assimilation. The dentals are not changed to cerebrals, but the original Sanskrit cerebrals are optionally changed to dentals, as in कुतुम्बक or कुटुम्बक for कुटुम्बक; and an original ण् to न् throughout, as in गुनगन for गुणगण. The sonant द् is hardened to त्, as in तामोतर् for दामोदर, पतेस for प्रदेश, &c. The sibilants are changed to स् as in Pâli and the principal Prâkrit, and ज्ञ and न्य to न्न् as in the former. In the Chûlikâ Paiśâchî, the sonants are throughout changed to surds, as in नकर, मक्कन, मेख, वक्ख, राचा, चीमूत, &c., for नगर, मार्गण, मेघ, व्याघ्र, राजा, जीमूत, &c. Phonetically the Paiśâchî appears to be in nearly the same condition as the Pâli, but the hardening of sonants is peculiar, and may be compared to the change of Sanskrit sonants to surds in the Teutonic languages, as in foot for पद, tooth for दत, know for ज्ञा, &c. Such changes involve no economy whatever; and like the change of dentals to cerebrals they must be attributed to certain peculiarities of the vocal organs. Even in the operation of the usual processes we have, as you will have seen, found very wide scope for the play of similar special aptitudes. The characteristic of the dialect we have been considering of not changing dentals to cerebrals as the Pâli and the Prâkrits do, and even the dentalizing of cerebrals, would appear to be truly Âryan. Perhaps then this was the language of an Âryan tribe that had remained longer in the original seat of the race, and was connected with the ancestors of the Teutons, so as to develop a phonetic peculiarity resembling theirs, and emigrated to India at a very late period and settled on the borders. Or it might be that the tribe came to India along with the others, but living in the mountainous countries on the border in a sort of rude independence, it developed this peculiarity of pronunciation, which to my mind betokens a rude and uncontrollable force of breath. Since under this supposition they could not have come in very close contact with their more civilized brethren of the plains, their language did not undergo some of those phonetic modifications which Sanskrit underwent in the mouths of the aboriginal races. And in a Sanskrit verse quoted by Mr. Ellis in his preface to Campbell's Grammar of the Telugu language, the countries where the Pais'âchî is said to have prevailed are such border countries as Gândhâra or Afghanistan, Nepal, Bâhlika or Balk, &c.⁷