Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.67

c8.67

—Nouns in ऋ. Two bases, one ending in आर as in भत्तार from भर्तृ and the other in उ as भर्तु, are used, the former throughout all the cases and the latter in all except the sing. of the nom. and acc. The first is declined like nouns in अ, and the second like those in उ as साहु. The nom. sing. has also the old form भत्ता. In the Pâli, you will remember, the first base is used in the plural of four cases, and the second in the gen. sing. only; while the singulars of three cases have the old Sanskrit forms. Here the two bases have been extended much further and one old form only that of the nom. sing. remains. Nouns expressive of relationship such as पितृ, भ्रातृ and जामातृ are declined similarly, the final syllable आ being shortened to अ as it is in Sanskrit and Pâli in those cases where the base is used. The voc. sing. is भत्त, and of the latter class of nouns it ends in अ or अरं, as पिअ or पिअरं.