Nasikya Pachi Vyanjanagama Ane Sarupya

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Nasikya Pachi Vyanjanagama ane Sarupya" by H.C. Bhayani:

The article, "Nasikya Pachi Vyanjanagama ane Sarupya" (Nasika-later Consonant Insertion and Assimilation) by H.C. Bhayani, published in the Mahavir Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth, Part 1, explores phonetic changes in Gujarati language, specifically focusing on the influence of nasal consonants (nasikyavyañjana: n, m, anusvara).

The author highlights a key trend in the transition from ancient to middle Indo-Aryan languages: the insertion of a consonant between the nasal consonant and the following 'h' sound. This insertion, often 'd' after 'n', 'm' after 'm', and 'sh' after anusvara, subsequently blends with 'h' to produce sounds like 'gh', 'bhun', and 'ghun' respectively. This 'h' could be original or developed through secondary phonetic processes. Examples provided include:

• Amra (Sanskrit) evolving into Ambaḍa (ancient Prakrit), Ambada (Gujarati) with an inserted consonant.
• Ādyātaka evolving into Āmra, Āmla, Āmbu, Āmbu, Āmbli.
• Sanchihna evolving into Chindha, Chindhu, Sambhatai, Sambhare.
• Simha evolving into Singha, Sing, Sang.
• Kushmanda evolving into Kumbhanda, Kaubhanda.

This pattern also applies when the nasal consonant and the following sound are not conjunct but in close proximity. Examples include:

• Vedic sunara evolving into prasanna (Sanskrit), Shyamali (Sanskrit), Simbali (ancient Prakrit), Shimlo (Gujarati).
• Brahamla (Sanskrit) evolving into Vihandal (Apabhramsa), Vyandal (Gujarati).

Several Gujarati examples illustrate the prominence of this trend:

• Churna (Sanskrit) -> Chunna (ancient Prakrit) -> Chundadi (Gujarati).
• Vanara (ancient Prakrit) -> Vandar, Vandaro (Gujarati).
• Panchadasha (Sanskrit) -> Pannarah (ancient Prakrit) -> Pandara (Gujarati).
• Parṇa (Sanskrit) -> Panna (ancient Prakrit) -> Pandadu (Gujarati).
• Ratana (Sanskrit) -> Rannala, Randala (Gujarati).
• Mini, Midi, Mindadi (Gujarati).

The text also points to contrasting pronunciations like Chamadun vs. Chabdu (from Chamada), Gamadun vs. Gadu (from Gama), and Ambalun (from Amala).

The author further notes instances of consonant insertion between nasal consonants and the 'r' sound, citing:

• Abhigyāna -> Ahinmāṇa -> Ahintāṇa -> Eṇdhāṇa
• Madanala -> Mayaṇahala -> Mindoṇu, Mindoḷa (where the 'ṇ' sound is prominent).

Regional variations like Surti pronunciation of bandhe (< bahene), bandhevi (< bahevi), jāndaṛaḍi (< jānaḍi), nāṇdhalu, nāṇdhaḍiyu are also presented as examples of this process.

The text suggests that a strong pronunciation of the long nasal consonant is a prerequisite for this phonetic transformation. During the pronunciation of a nasal sound, if the air escapes not only through the nose but also through the mouth, it leads to the formation of a consonant after the nasal. This transformation can be seen as a type of "split" where an original single consonant divides into two.

In contrast to the older patterns, modern Gujarati exhibits a trend where a medial unvoiced voiced consonant (mostly 'b') after a nasalized vowel, under the influence of the nasalization, assimilates to become a nasal consonant of its own class. Examples include:

• Amarai (from ancient Ambaraai, Sanskrit Amraraji)
• Shimlo (from ancient Simbali, Sanskrit Shyamali)
• Kamthi-Kamdi (from Kamba)
• Chimto (from original Chimbo)

Similar assimilation is seen in established spellings like Ambalu-Am, Ambali-Amli, Umbaro-Umro, Kambalo-Kamalo, Tambadi-Tamdi, Tambadi-Tumadi, Pumbadu-Pumadu, Limbado-Limdo.

The author also observes a tendency for word-final unvoiced voiced consonants (especially 'b', and to some extent 'd', 'ḍ') after a nasalized vowel to become nasal consonants ('m', 'n', 'ṇ'). Examples:

• Karamlo (from karab) -> Karamlo
• Chumvu-Chumi (from chumba-chumb)
• Jhumvu, Jhumuṇu, Jhummara (from ancient jhumba-banaṇa)
• Subuk Būm (from ancient buba)
• Lūm (from lamba, lambee)
• Sam (from sambela, Sanskrit samba, etc.)
• Adhikham, Malkham (from khaba, khambha)
• Damvu (from dambhavu, Sanskrit bhadha)
• Vam (from vambha)

Furthermore, everyday colloquial language features regional pronunciations like khaṇ (for khaṇḍ), gaṇ (for gaṇṭh), maṇ (for maṇḍ), rāṇano (for rāṇḍano), kanmuḷ (for kandmuḷ), banbaaraṇe (for bandh baaraṇe), chanara (for chandra), vān, pāḷaḍi, panar, chunḍi, vanaravan, anaradhaara, shinari (for shindari), gan (for ghan, gandha), govanji (for govindji), which also indicate this phonetic trend.

The text notes that the assimilation of 'ṇ' to 'n', 'n' to 'ṇ', and 'nyu' to 'ṇ' (e.g., in kaṇbi, vāṇaṃd, bamaṇaṃ etc.) is consistent with the previously described tendencies.

The footnotes refer to seminal works in linguistics for further details on these phonetic changes, including Hemchandra's Siddhhem, Pishal's Gramar, Turner's Gujarati Phonology, and Narasimharao's work on Gujarati language and literature. The author critiques Narasimharao's analysis of some of these changes, suggesting it is flawed and conflates different phonetic processes.

Finally, the article mentions that a more widespread tendency is to consider the combination of nasal and 'h' sounds like other conjuncts without any insertion, and then to often omit the 'h'. Examples are given for Hindi, Marathi, and even English and Greek words, highlighting the universality of such phonetic assimilation processes.