Page:The history of the Bengali language (1920).pdf/114

92 hence a half-nasal and the cerebral ড় have evolved out of ণ sound. In কেষ্ট and বিষ্টু or বিষ্টুঁ for কৃষ্ণ and বিষ্ণু the cerebral ট has been substituted to represent the cerebral sound. The initial এ of কেষ্ট, comes from the tendency to pronounce এর্ for ঋ; it is no doubt a rare tendency, but it is noticeable in the pronunciation of ঘের্&zwnj;ত for ঘৃত, by some villagers, who attempt at Sanskritic pronunciation. I may notice, that the Iranian pronunciation of ঋ was এর্-অ in near approach of the old Vedic pronunciation of the vowel ঋ.

As we do not pronounce অন্তস্থ ব and identify it with ব of প-বর্গ, we do not keep the অনুস্বার separate from it, and compound it with ম which is the nasal sound of the letters of প-বর্গ; we write and pronounce বশম্বদ, কিম্বা and এবম্বিধ; this practice has been in vogue since long, as we meet with the above sort of spelling in ancient epigraphic records; I think this wrong use should be avoided, as it is necessary to know, which nasal sound is appropriate to which class of letters. We meet with such wroug spelling of words as তাম্ব and আম্ব in the old epigraphic records of East Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. The people of Orissa, pronounce আম্ব and not আম, and even now write তাম্ব্র for তাম্র in rural districts; it is noteworthy, that in some parts of Bengal আম is pronounced as আঁব and তামা as তাঁবা.

It is significant, that when ম becomes a ফলা or nasal adjunct of a consonant, it is not at all pronounced in Bengal, and the consonant with which it is compounded, is pronounced as if it is duplicated; পদ্ম and লক্ষ্মী are pronounced as পদ্&zwnj;দ and লক্&zwnj;খি, while our silent ম is distinctly pronounced in all other parts of India including Orissa. In some cases, it is noticed, that the consonant to which ম is conjoined, is dropped altogether, and ম is alone articulated; as from শ্মশান the word মশান has been