Page:The history of the Bengali language (1920).pdf/122

100 good part. ষ indicated a heavy and solemn sound, while ড (ড় included) signified a roaring sound; বৃ and কং also conveyed or were made to convey a sonorous sound. বৃহ, বৃংহ, বৃংহতি signified the sound of a horse or an elephant; ঘোষ comes from ঘঃ (a heavy dull sound) + ষ; ঘণ্টা is composed of ঘং + টা (টা being the sound produced by striking something which is hard). Compare also the words মেষ ('মে' + ষ indicating sound), মেঘ, বৃষ, হ্রেষা, হর্ষ, ভাষ, মহিষ, রোষ (রু + ষ), কাংস্য (কং or ক্বণ্ sound + ষ), and শুষ্ক (from the sound শুষ্ occasioned at the drying-up of water on fire).

In the Sanskrit language of a comparatively later time, as well as in the Prākṛtas, ড may be pointed out as the letter which has been used to indicate an awe-inspiring sound; ষং + ড = ষণ্ড of the later Vedic speech, may also be noted. Our ঝড়, তোড়, দৌড়, কড় কড়, হুড় হুড়, মড় মড়, etc., are examples in point.

হ and শ.—The aspirate sound of হ which has created the extra consonants খ, ঘ, ছ, ঝ, etc., is not as is very distinctly marked, fully pronounced in Eastern Bengal; the subdued sound of it is something like অ—অ which cannot be properly pictured; হ as an initial letter, is very clearly pronounced in other parts of Bengal, but that there is a tendency to soften its sound when it occurs as a medial or a final, is to be duly noted. It is a peculiarity all over Bengal, that মহাশয় is pronounced almost like মশাই by dropping হ and by retaining a portion of the sound of the final য় or ই + অ; মহিষ is pronounced as মোষ by introducing the long ও sound compensating the loss of হ, and কহা appears in our speech and script as কওয়া. Even when we omit to write হ in such a word for example as তাহার, our tongue glides a little over the হ sound, and thus we can distinguish this word in our pronunciation from তার to signify either 'wire' or 'taste.' When হ takes a য-ফলা, it is pronounced as জ-ঝ in Bengali as well as in Oriya.