Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/123

II.] It has already been said in a foregoing chapter that our language, under Buddhistic influence, had lapsed into a very lax form of Prākrita, and was on that account treated with contempt by the Brāhmanic school. I have already referred to some of its chief sources of development after the downfall of Buddhism. Within the last one thousand years there has been a movement for the enrichment of our language by importing Sanskrit words, and by correcting the current forms of words according to the rules laid down in Sanskrit-grammar. Curiously enough, in this process of the resuscitation of words, our language offers a striking resemblance to the Romance languages, which also passed through a similar process, almost at the same period of history. If we look into the works noticed in the foregoing pages, this fact will be apparent. In spite of many portions of these works having been recast in subsequent times, there are numerous instances in them of words belonging to a very lax form of Prākrita, which are no longer in written use. I quote some such words below:—

কাতি-the month of Kārtika (Last half of October and first half of November), পখা—wings, নখতা—Stars, পুনি—again, বগা—crane, দে—body, বিনি—without,আহ্মি—I, তুহ্মি—you, মুরূখ—a dunce, বিভা—marriage, পুপ্প—a flower, বজ্জ—thunder, দপ্পন—a mirror.

The influence of the written forms of words in a literary language, is often reflected in its spoken forms, and if we study the Prākrita writings of the 5th and 6th centuries, we shall find numerous instances of লাম, দলিদ্দ, চালুদত্ত, চলন and similar words being used for রাম, দরিদ্র, চারুদত্ত, চরণ &c. These loose forms are no longer in use in any spoken