Page:Vedic Grammar.djvu/33

I. PHONOLOGY. MUTES. MODES OF ARTICULATION. LOSS OF ASPIRATION. 23 32. Loss of aspiration.. Aspiration is lost when there is another aspirate in the same syllable or at the beginning of the next in roots. Hence a. initial aspiration is lost: I. in the reduplicative syllable: e. g. ja- ghan-a (han-, ghan- 'strike'); ca-cchand-a (chand- 'please'); da-dhá-ti (dha- 'put'); par-phar-at (phar- 'scatter'?). But when the reduplication consists of two syllables, the rule does not apply; e. g. gháni-ghan-at, intv. part. of han- (beside ján-ghn-at), ghana-ghan-á- 'fond of striking'; bhári-bhr-at, intv. part. of bhr- 'bear'. Loss of aspiration, however, began, even in the RV.², to spread from monosyllabic to dissyllabic reduplication; thus a-pani-phan-at, intv. part. of phan- bound'.- 2. in the following words, according to the evidence of cognate languages: kumbhá- 'pot'³; gadh- 'attach'; gábhas-ti- 'arm'; guh- 'conceal'; grdh- 'be greedy'; grhá- 'house'; grabh- 'seize'; jámhas ‘gait'; jángha- 'leg'; jaghána- 'buttock'; dabh- 'harm'; dah- 'burn'; dih- 'besmear'; duh- milk'; duhitr- ‘daughter'; drahyát 'strongly'; druh- 'injure'; bandh- 'bind'; babhrú- 'brown'; badh- 'distress'; bahú- 'arm'; budh- 'awake'; budhná- 'bottom'; brh- 'be great'. It is probable also in dagh- 'reach': bamh- 'be firm'; badhirá- 'deaf'; bahu-, bahulá- ‘much'; bradhná- ‘pale red'; bráhman- 'devotion'. b. Final aspiration is often lost4. 1. When this occurs before suffixal s, orignal initial aspiration is lost in some cases; thus from guh- 'hide', desid. 3. du. ju-guk-sa-tas; grdh- 'be eager': grtsá- 'dexterous'; dabh- 'harm': desid. dip-sa-ti, dip-si- 'intending to hurt'; dah- 'burn': impv. dak-și, aor. part. dákṣat-, dáksu- and dakşús- 'flaming'; duh- ‘milk': aor. a-duksat, dukşás, etc., des. part. dudukṣans; bhas- 'chew': bap-sati, part. báps-at-; ghas- 'eat' : jak-siyát, perf. opt.; has- 'laugh' part. jáks-at-; also in the word drap-sá- ‘drop¹6. But in some of the above and in analogous forms with s, the original initial aspirate remains; thus from guh-, aor. aghukṣat; dah: dhákşi, part. dhákṣat-, fut. part. dhaksyán; duh- : aor. ádhukṣat, dhuksán, etc. 2. impv. dhuk-sva; badh- 'distress': bi-bhat-si- loathing'; budh- 'awake': aor. á-bhut-s-i. - 2. When the loss of final radical aspiration is due to any other cause than suffixal s, the original initial aspirate regularly remains; thus from dah, aor. a-dhak; budh- 'waken': nom. -bhut 'waking'; dha- 'put': dhat?, 3. sing., dhat-thas, á-dhat-tam, etc.; and in the latter verb always before s also: dhat-se, dhat-sva, desid. dhit-sati. c. On the other hand, there is no loss of aspiration in the root if an aspirate follows which belongs to a suffix or second member of a compound; e. g. vibhú-bhis 'with the Vibhus'; proth-átha- 'snorting'; dhestha- ‘giving most (dhā-iṣṭha-); ahi-hán- 'serpent-slaying'; garbha-dhi- 'breeding-place'. The only exceptions are the two imperatives bo-dhi 'be' (for *bho-dhi9 instead of *bhu- dhi) and ja-hí (for *jha-hí) from han- 'strike' ¹⁰. ¹ Except when the second aspirate belongs to a suffix or second member of a com- pound, see below c. 2 Later this became the rule. 3 Initial aspiration has perhaps been lost also in śákhā- branch', and in the roots stigh mount', and stambh 'make firm'. Cp. WACKERNAGEL I, 105 a. 4 This may also be the case in the roots bhuj- bend', chid- 'split', chad- 'cover', dhraj- 'sweep': op. cit 1, 105 b, note. 5 These forms from dah- and duh- almost always appear in the Pada text with dh, doubtless because from the time of the Brāhmaṇas this initial aspiration had become the rule; cp. BENFEY, GGA. 1873, p. 18f. 6 IE. dhrebh- 'coagulate'. 7 For dhadh-t. 8 Forms like bud-dha- for budh-ta can hardly be regarded as exceptions since the aspiration is assumed by the suffix instead of reappearing in the initial of the root. 9 Here bho is a Prakritic contraction for bhava-. 10 Also vidátha- 'feast', if correctly derived from vidh- 'worship'; on this word see MAX MÜLLER, SBE. 32, 350; Foy, KZ. 34, BLOOMFIELD, JAOS. 19, 2, 12 ff.; 226; GELDNER, ZDMG. 52, 730-61; WACKER- NAGEL I, 108. A few more uncertain exam- ples might be exceptions: garda-bhá- 'ass'