Page:A Grammar of the Telugu language.djvu/57

Rh వెర్రి fool in the vocative becomes వేర్రీ. Again the final ు or  is changed into ఆ to denote question. Thus వాడు he becomes వాడా He?

This will be fully explained elsewhere. At present it is only requisite to point out that the final vowel is often lengthened (in the manner of emphasis) without affecting the meaning. This particularly happens in compound words. Thus అక్కజెల్లెండ్రు Sisters, is generally spelt అక్కాజెల్లెండ్లు.

In like manner కూడ​ together is generally spelt కూడా and the final ు in లోను becomes లోనూ inside. These forms are considered vulgar but are in daily use.

The final short vowels ి  ు are liable to elision when followed by a word beginning with a vowel. Thus వాడు + ఎక్కడ​ vadu + eccada becomes వాడెక్కడ​ vad'eccada where is he? అది + ఎక్కడ​ adi + eccada, where is it? becomes అదెక్కడ​ ad'eccada, అన్న​ + ఎక్కడ anna + eccada may become అన్నెక్కడ​ ann'eccada, where is his brother.

But in speaking and writing Telugu we usually neglect this elision (which is denominated సంధి sandhi.) In this we are frequently misled by natives teachers, who forget that rules binding on poets are needless to those who use the common language of conversation or correspondence. Accordingly they insist upon our using elision and permutation in ordinary Telugu: a pedantic refinement which we are obliged to lay aside when we commence to transact business in the language.

When driven to admit that they themselves depart from the principles they inculcate, they even will acknowledge themselves to speak erroneously. But in truth there is no error: there are merely two dialects, and when we write or converse we have no occasion to use the forms which are peculiar to poetry.

Even in the plain instances I have adduced, elision is