Page:Sanskrit Grammar by Whitney p1.djvu/55



The Hindu grammarians take the pains to define the quantity of a consonant (without distinction among consonants of different classes) as half that of a short vowel.

They also define the quantity of a long vowel or diphthong as twice that of a short  vowel — making no distinction in this respect between the  and the diphthongs.

Besides these two vowel-quantities, the Hindus acknowledge a third, called (literally swimming), or protracted, and having three moras or three times the quantity of a short vowel. A protracted vowel is marked by a following figure 3: thus, आ३.

The protracted vowels are practically of rare occurrence (in RV., three cases; in AV., fifteen; in the Brāhmaṇa literature, decidedly more frequent). They are used in cases of questioning, especially of a balancing between two alternatives, and also of calling to a distance or urgently. The protraction is of the last syllable in a word, or in a whole phrase; and the protracted syllable has usually the acute tone, in addition to any other accent the word may have; sometimes it takes also, or is made nasal.

Examples are: (RV.) ''was it, forsooth, below? was it, forsooth, above? (AV.) saying, is this more, or is that?  (TS.) O Agni! thou with thy spouse! drink the soma''.

A diphthong is protracted by prolongation of its first or -element: thus, to,  to.

The sign of protraction is also sometimes written as the result of accentual combination, when so-called occurs: see below, 90 c, d.

For metrical purposes, syllables (not vowels) are distinguished by the grammarians as heavy or light. A syllable is heavy if its vowel is long, or short and followed by more than one consonant (“long by position”). and count as full consonants in