Page:The history of the Bengali language (1920).pdf/124

102 in script of the Māgadhi Prākṛta, shows the use of dental স for the palatal শ.

Non-হসন্ত final.—We cannot conclude without noticing a peculiarity in the pronunciation of a simple consonant occurring as a terminal in a word. On reference to the list of words arranged in pairs below, it will be observed that final letters of the first words of the pairs are pronounced as distinct syllables, while those of the second words of the pairs are হসন্ত or silent. ভাল and ঝাল, ব্রত and মত (opinion), কাল (black) and লাল, ঘৃত and শীত, প্রমথ and শপথ, নিহিত and মোহিত, constitute the short list in question, to illustrate roughly this peculiarity. Let us frame tentative rules, regarding the pronunciation of the simple consonants, when they are final. We must first note, that as a rule, the final simple consonants are হসন্ত in Bengali, unlike what the case is in Oriya; the following are the rules for what form exceptions.

(1) When the penultimate is হসন্ত, no matter whether the penultimate and the final are made into one compound letter or not in spelling, the final is bound to be pronounced as a distinct syllable, unlike what is the case in Hindi; শক্ত, জব্‌দ, কষ্ট, etc., are examples. (2) The final simple consonants of the verbs in the Imperative mood, second person, are distinct syllables as in কর, বল, চল, etc., where the imperative-indicating final হ has now been dropped; when the expression is either non-honorific or highly honorific, হসন্ত sound prevails,—as কর্, বল্, চল্, etc. and করুন, বলুন, চলুন, etc. (3) (a) When the final letter is the representative of a compound letter of the original word, or (b) where the final letter of our vernacular word has become final by the decay of a syllable or of some syllables, স্বরান্ত pronunciation prevails. It is not asserted, that in all cases of such origin of words, the final simple consonant,