Page:Sanskrit Grammar by Whitney p1.djvu/115

 a. Examples are, of roots: and  and  and  and  and  and : of endings,  and  and.

256. A final, whether of stem or of root, is less stable than any other consonant, where a weaker form is called for: thus, from we have  and , and in composition ; from ,  and  and ; from √ we have  and , etc. A final radical  is sometimes treated in the same way; thus, from √,.

257. Inserted. On the other hand, the nasal has come to be used with great — and, in the later history of the language, with increasing — frequency as a union-consonant, inserted between vowels: thus, from  and ; from ; from.

258. Inserted. a. After final of a root, a  is often found as apparently a mere union-consonant before another vowel: thus, in inflection,  etc. (844),  etc. (1042),  etc. (363 c),  etc. (761 e); further, in derivation,  etc.;  etc. (many cases);.

b. Other more sporadic cases of inserted — such as that in the pronoun-forms ; and in optative inflection before an ending beginning with a vowel (565) — will be pointed out below in their connection.

259. Reduplication of a root (originating doubtless in its complete repetition) has come to be a method of radical increment or strengthening in various formative processes: namely,

a. in present-stem formation (642 ff.): as ;

b. in perfect-stem formation, almost universally (782 ff.): as ;

c. in aorist-stem formation (856 ff.): as ;

d. in intensive and desiderative-stem formation, throughout (1000 ff., 1026 ff.): as ;

e. in the formation of derivative noun-stems (1143 e): as.

f. Rules for the treatment of reduplication in these several cases will be given in the proper connection below.

260. As, by reason of the strengthening and weakening changes indicated above, the same root or stem not seldom exhibits, in the processes of inflection and derivation, varieties of stronger and weaker form, the distinction and description of these varieties forms an important part of the subjects hereafter to be treated.