Page:Sanskrit Grammar by Whitney p1.djvu/345

 884. Certain roots in weaken the  in middle inflection to  (as also in the root-aorist: above, 834 a): these are said to be, and ; in the older language have been noted  and  from √ give (and  perhaps once from √ bind),  and  (with the optative ) from √ put, and ; also  and  from √ go (with ).

a. The middle inflection of the aorist of √ would be, then, according to the grammarians:.

885. Roots ending in changeable (so-called roots in : 242) are said by the grammarians to convert this vowel to  in middle forms: thus,  etc. (from √); of such forms, however, has been found in the older language only, PB.

886. The -aorist is made in the older language from about a hundred and forty roots (in RV., from about seventy; in AV., from about fifty, of which fifteen are additional to those in RV.); and the epic and classical literature adds but a very small number. It has in the Veda certain peculiarities of stem-formation and inflection, and also the full series of modes — of which the optative middle is retained also later as a part of the "precative" (but see 925 b).

887. Irregularities of stem-formation are as follows:

a. The strengthening of the root-syllable is now and then irregularly made or omitted: thus, (AB.),  (B.S.; also occurs in MBh., which has further ),  (KU.);  (RV.);  and  (AB.),  etc. (V.B.: √),  (AV.) and  (TA.);  (U.); and MBh. has. From √ is made (U. etc.), and from √,  (not quotable). The form (BhP.) is doubtless a false reading.

b. A radical final nasal is lost in (RV.) and  (TA.) from √, and in the optatives  and  (RV.) from √√ and.

c. The roots, and have  instead of  in the middle: thus,  and  and ; √ (or ) makes.

d. ÇB. has once for  (√).

888. The principal peculiarity of the older language in regard to inflection is the frequent absence of in the endings of 2d and 3d sing. act., and the consequent loss of the consonant-ending, and sometimes of root-finals (150). The forms without are the only ones found in RV. and K., and they outnumber the others in AV. and TS.; in the Brāhmaṇas they grow rarer (only one,, occurs in GB.; one, , in KB.; and two, and , in ÇB.; PB. has none).