Some Topics In The Development Of OIA MIA NIA - Book Summary

This book, "Some Topics in the Development of OIA MIA NIA" by H. C. Bhayani, published by L. D. Indology Ahmedabad in 1997, is a scholarly work that delves into various aspects of linguistic change within the Indo-Aryan language family. The author, H. C. Bhayani, focuses on specific topics related to phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon, drawing primarily from Prakrit and Gujarati data.

Here's a comprehensive summary of the book's content, organized by the major sections indicated in the table of contents:

I. Phonological:

This section examines various sound changes that occurred from Old Indo-Aryan (OIA) to Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA) and New Indo-Aryan (NIA). Bhayani highlights "sporadic" or less commonly explained tendencies, often proposing phonological explanations rather than solely relying on analogy. Key topics include:

Change of -s- to -h: Discusses the common shift of 's' to 'h' in various words and grammatical suffixes.
*-dr- (or dl-) > -ll-: Analyzes the replacement of the consonant cluster '-dr-' with '-ll-'.
-st- > -tt-/-mt-: Explores the change of '-st-' to '-tt-' or '-mt-', noting instances where aspiration is absent or nasalization occurs.
-sm- > -mh- > -mh-: Details the transformation of '-sm-' through '-mh-' to '-mh-', citing examples like the etymology of māhaṇa- (Brahmin).
Stop-insertion in Prakrit clusters: Examines the tendency to insert a stop sound (homorganic with a nasal) within clusters involving nasals and fricatives for ease of pronunciation, and its continuation in Gujarati.
Post-labial -u- > -o- in word-initial closed syllables: Investigates the change of '-u-' to '-o-' after a labial consonant in specific positions.
Voiceless consonant + nasal/v > double voiceless stop: Discusses the dialectal tendency to replace such clusters with a doubled voiceless stop.
-a- preceding a cluster with a nasal anlaut changed to -i-: Analyzes how a preceding 'a' might change to 'i' due to the influence of a following nasal cluster.
Nasalization of a pre-sibilant vowel: Examines the nasalization of vowels before sibilant sounds.
Aspiration of non-aspirate stops: Proposes that aspiration of non-aspirate stops can be influenced by a subsequent 's'.
Doubling of a single consonant following a long vowel: Questions the accentual explanation for this phenomenon and suggests a tendency-based approach.
Prothetic h-: Supplements existing research on the addition of an initial 'h'.
Assimilative change -i- > -u- in MIA and NIA: Discusses how '-i-' can change to '-u-' through assimilation, citing examples like ikṣu > ucchu.
Replacement of -nd- by -ll-: Analyzes instances where '-nd-' is replaced by '-ll-'.
Replacement of -b- by -g-: Explores the substitution of 'b' with 'g' in certain words.

II. Morphological:

This extensive section covers various developments in word formation and structure:

(1) Inflexional:
- A. Developments in Prakrit verb-stems:
  - Passive verb-stems: Analyzes how the Sanskrit passive system disintegrated and how new passive stems formed, often through analogy, in MIA. It details the various endings like -ijj-/-iy-, -kkh-, -cc-, -jji)-, -jjh-, -n-, -pp-, -bbh-, -mm-, -r-, -s-/-ss-.
  - New past passive participle bases: Discusses replacive bases like -gga-, -dha-, and -ina-, highlighting the role of analogy in their formation and replacement of older forms.
  - Development of new active intransitive verbal stems: Examines how MIA. past passive participles with double consonants or specific suffixes led to the creation of new active intransitive verbal stems, often replacing older forms or the -ita- suffix.
  - Phonological explanation versus analogical explanation: Critically evaluates the debate between phonological laws and analogical processes in explaining morphological changes, arguing for the significant role of analogy in MIA. morphology.
- B. Some aspects of the development of the Gujarati passive:
  - Passive, optative, and future imperative stems: Traces the development from Prakrit to Old and Modern Gujarati, discussing the interplay of these verbal forms.
  - Origin and development of O. Guj. stems ending in -ija, -ia-: Explains how these stems, used for passive, optative, and imperative senses, evolved from Prakrit.
  - Origin and development of ā- passives: Investigates the origin of the Gujarati '-ā-' passive suffix, suggesting a connection to Sanskrit denominatives and intransitive verbs.
  - The stative verb-stems in -ā-: Discusses verbs derived with '-ā-' that express states of feeling, sensation, or change of condition, often used actively.
  - Stative verbs used actively: Further elaborates on how these stative verbs, despite their passive or experiential meaning, can be used with an active construction.
  - The passive subjectless reflexive construction: Analyzes passive constructions where the agent is absent.
  - The active subjectless reflexive construction: Examines similar constructions with active verbs.
  - Abilitives: Notes the development of the passive voice in Apabhramśa to convey ability.
  - Intransitives functioning as transitives: Discusses the exceptional use of some intransitive verbs with a transitive function, often with a specific type of object.
(2) Derivational:
- The nominal suffix -ota- in Sanskrit: Investigates the potential origin and function of the suffix '-ota-' in Sanskrit words, suggesting a possible MIA. origin for some of them.
- The Late Middle Indo-Aryan suffix -āņa-: Identifies and analyzes the possessive suffix '-āṇa(y)a-' in Apabhramśa, tracing its usage in various texts and exploring its potential origins.
(3) Syntactical:
- On MIA. lagg- used as a 'vector' verb: Examines the historical usage of 'lagg-' as a secondary verb in compound verb constructions in MIA. and its continuation in NIA.
- The Gujarati constructions with marvũ as a 'vector': Provides a detailed case study of the verb 'marvũ' (to die) when used as a vector verb, outlining its various idiomatic meanings and grammatical functions in Gujarati.
(4) Lexical:
- Compound verbal roots in MIA and NIA: Identifies and discusses the formation of compound verbal roots, often onomatopoeic or formed from rhyming or semantically related roots, a trend observed in MIA. and continuing into NIA.
- Late non-standard Sanskrit usages: This subsection explores various linguistic phenomena in later Sanskrit literature:
  - (1) The Śṛṅgāramañjarī-kathā: Presents a glossary of peculiar and rare words and expressions from this 11th-century Sanskrit prose work, highlighting Prakritisms and colloquialisms.
  - (2) The Subhāṣitaratnakōśa: Analyzes difficult stanzas from Vidyākara's anthology, focusing on Prakritisms and dialectal expressions that aid in interpretation.
  - (3) The Vasantavilāsa: Examines non-standard words and expressions found in this 13th-century Sanskrit Mahākāvya, demonstrating the continuous trend of incorporating vernacular elements into Sanskrit literature.
  - (4) Late Sanskrit doublets with the auslaut -Cya-/-Ci-: Notes a pattern of doublets in late Sanskrit where abstract nouns ending in '-Cya-' were often replaced by forms ending in '-Ci-'.

Appendix:

Grammatical and semantic factors as concomitant causes of sound-change: Discusses how grammatical and semantic factors, such as the phonetic weakness of terminational elements and the idiomatization of word groups, contribute to sound changes.

Overall Themes and Contributions:

Emphasis on "Sporadic" Tendencies: Bhayani actively seeks phonological explanations for changes that are often attributed solely to analogy, offering new insights into irregular linguistic developments.
Data from Prakrit and Gujarati: The book heavily relies on meticulous analysis of data from these languages, providing a strong empirical basis for its linguistic arguments.
Interplay of Analogy and Phonology: The work acknowledges the significant role of analogy in language change, particularly in morphology, while also advocating for the importance of phonological conditioning.
Historical Linguistic Perspective: Bhayani provides a detailed historical overview of how language evolved, tracing changes from OIA through MIA. to NIA., with a particular focus on the transition periods.
Linguistic Analysis of Literary Texts: The book demonstrates how the study of literary works can reveal valuable information about linguistic usage and evolution, even in seemingly "non-standard" forms.
Contribution to Indo-Aryan Linguistics: This work contributes significantly to the understanding of the complex historical development of Indo-Aryan languages, offering detailed analyses of specific phonological and morphological processes.

In essence, "Some Topics in the Development of OIA MIA NIA" is a rigorous and insightful study that offers a nuanced perspective on linguistic change, emphasizing the intricate interplay of various factors that shape the evolution of languages.