Page:A Grammar of the Telugu language.djvu/56

38 బ or వ​. Thus తమ్ముడు tammadu is a younger brother but when combined with అన్న​ elder brother, the compound is అన్నదిమ్ములు anna-dammulu brothers. In like manner తండ్రి tandri is father, but combined with తల్లి mother, it forms the word తలిదండ్రులు tali-dandrulu, i. e. parents. Thus చెల్లెలు chellelu is a younger sister and acca is an elder sister but అక్కజెల్లెండ్లు acca-jellendlu is Sisters.

This change is denominated సరళాదేశం Saral-ădesam. It frequently occurs in Telugu poetry and (but rarely) is used in common prose. The few instances given above are in frequent use. In Welsh poetry as also in Irish, Gaelic, and other languages of the Celtic school the same principle occurs. It is wholly unknown to Sanscrit Etymology.

To accustom the reader to this principle I shall in this grammar write the hard and soft initials indiscriminately; particularly in the verb: where the auxiliar పడుట​ paduta to fall, is continually spelt బడుట​ baduta, which is the form we hourly use in speaking and writing.

In a few instances an initial consonant is dropped. Thus వేయుట​ veyuta to cast, వెర్రి verri, foolish నేను nenu (the pronoun I) నీవు nīvu Thou మేము memu we are spelt ఏయుట​, ఎర్రి, ఏను, ఈవు, ఏము, ēyuta, erri, ēnu, īvu, ēmu. The pronoun నేను I can even become ఏ E′.

The three vowels ి ు when they are final are often lengthened. Thus అక్క​ sister in the vocative becomes అక్కా accā.