Page:The history of the Bengali language (1920).pdf/111

Rh not বিক্রয় for its origin, is pronounced otherwise; ঘেরা from ঘির্ (cf. ঘিরিল, ঘিরিলাম), চেরা from চির্ (cf. চিরিল), মেশা from মিশ্ (cf. মিশিতে) and মেলা from মিল্ (cf. মিলন, মিলিতে) are some examples. মেলা from মিল্ may be contrasted with মে̂লা (many) which claims no root having the ই initial. This will give us a clue to see that এমন, কেমন, খেলা, etc., are not the direct descendants of ইদম্, কিম্, ক্রীড়্, &c, but are derived from the Prākṛta forms এমৎ, কেমৎ and খেল respectively. It is to be noted that when 'ই' as a particle of emphasis, comes after the এ sound (এ-ই), the normal pronunciation is not changed; in এ, কি? however, এ is an independent word and so it retains the Sanskritic sound. Those who resorting to an unscientific method, do not keep ই and ও, indicating emphasis, distinct and separate from the words to which they are joined, must see on looking to the two foregoing forms, what a confusion may be created by their wrong spelling; if ই of emphasis is joined to হসন্ত-ক—final of the word এক in the shape of ই-কার, the two forms illustrated above will be identical. It becomes physically impossible to make ই or ও indicating emphasis, an inseparable part of such following words as তুমি, সে, আলো, etc., and one is bound to write তুমি-ই, তুমি-ও, সে-ই, সে-ও, আলো-ই, আলো-ও, etc.; why then such an exception should be made as to spell কোনো for কোনও when the emphasis itself is drowned in the new spelling, is difficult to understand. It must be pointed out, in this connection, that though য় is not pronounced as ই + অ, the sound ই is in our ears unconsciously, as it were since the general rule governs our pronunciation of such following words as কেয়া, খেয়াল, চেয়ার্ (chair), তেয়াগ, দেয়াল, ধেয়ান, পেয়ালা, শেয়ান্, হেঁয়ালি, etc.

Visarjaniya.—Neither the sign nor the sound of it was in use either in Pāli or in the later Prākṛta speeches; properly speaking, we do not use it in Bengali, and only three or four Sanskrit words as are spelt with visarjaniya, have Rh