Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.64

c8.64

Masculine Nouns in अ. The nom., acc., and instr. cases of nouns in अ are the same as in Pâli; but here the nom. pl. form वच्छा is optionally transferred to the acc. pl. also, thus giving another instance of the strong tendency to confuse the nom. and acc. that I have spoken of. The dat. sing. in आय like that in Pâli, is preserved in solitary instances in which it has the sense of "for the sake of". The abl. sing. besides the general forms mentioned above has the old one ending in आ, as in Pâli, and a new one in आहि which is used in the plural also. This आहि is used in Sanskrit in the words दक्षिणाहि and उत्तराहि,⁹ which have an ablative signification. It must in its origin be considered the same as the instr. termination भिम्. The loc. sing. besides the general form has, as in Pâli, the old one in ए. The voc. sing. has also the two Pâli forms देव, देवा, and another देवो the same as the nom. sing.