A History of Sanskrit Literature c7.s3.22

c7.s3.22

Thus we have in the phonology of this popular Sanskrit as seen in the Bower MS. some confusion of *ṛ* and *ri*, of *n* and *ṇ*, of *ç*, *ṣ*, and *s*; metrical lengthening and shortening of vowels is not rare; *ml* becomes *mbl*, and rarely *a* is prefixed as in *alatā*. In Sandhi hiatus and hyper-Sandhi, even to the extent of an elided consonant (*açvibhyānumataḥ*), are known, while *ā* is occasionally elided when initial. In declension we find *īs* and reversely *ū* as feminine nominatives for *ī* and *ūs*; *īs* is often replaced by *yas* as the accusative feminine, and *in* stems are treated as *i* stems, as in *pittīnām* for *pittinām*. In the verb we have simplification in class, as in *lihet* for *lihyāt*, *piṣet* for *piṁṣyāt*; and, as in the epic, very free interchange of active and middle forms; the gerunds in *tvā* and *yā* are confused. Stem formation shows frequently the mixture of bases in *a*, *i*, or *u* for those in *as*, *is*, or *us*, and, rarely, such a base as *hantāra* from the accusative of *hantṛ*; there is confusion in feminine suffixes, as in *ghnā* for *ghnī*, *caturthā* for *caturthī*, while ordinals in composition are sometimes replaced by cardinals. Very characteristic is confusion of gender, especially between masculine and neuter, more rarely between masculine and feminine or feminine and neuter. Case confusion is common, as is non-observation of rules of concord and confusion of numbers, while the interpolation of particles within compounds or sentences, absolute constructions, and very loosely compacted clauses are common.