Page:Tamil studies.djvu/195

168 (5) The formation of a remote demonstrative from a base in அ, the proximate from a base in இ. Ex: Skt. adah, idam ; Tam. அது, இது.

(6) The formation of preterites by d. Ex : Skt. ji, jita. Tam. வா, வந்த, &c.

(7) The formation of some preterites by reduplication. Ex : Skt. pash, papacha ; Tam புகு, புக்கு, &c.

(8) The formation of verbal nouns by lengthening the vowel of the verbal root. Ex: Skt. nat-natya, guhgadam, &c; Tam. மின்-மீன், நக்கு-நாக்கு, &c,

It is said that the Dravidian languages in their turn exerted an equal, if not greater, influence on Sanskrit and her North Indian dialects. This is what everybody might naturally expect, considering that the Prakrit dialects came into existence during historic times and that the peoples whose mother tongue they are, have, from remote antiquity, been living in the midst of the Dravidian races. Moreover, all those who speak them are not Aryans.

The Dravidian influence on the grammar of the Indo-Aryan languages has been detailed by Dr Caldwell as follows :—The inflection of nouns by means of separate post-fixed particles added to the oblique form of the noun ; the inflection of the plural by annexing the same sign as for the singular; the use of two pronouns for the first person plural-the one including and the other excluding the party addressed; the use of post-positions instead of prepositions ; the formation of verbal tenses by means of particles ;