Page:The history of the Bengali language (1920).pdf/291

Rh the growth of র here is but euphonic growth. In Bengali the noun-stems having ই or উ final take an additional ত which is but an euphonic growth to facilitate easy pronunciation; compare the forms হাতে ধর and ছুরিতে কাট. This euphonic transmutation is noticeable alike in Nominative and Locative, where এ is the case-denoting suffix. Where however difficulty does not occur in pronunciation, the euphonic ত does not occur; for instance ঘিয়ে ভাজ is commoner than ঘিতে ভাজ. Besides the ordinary examples of instrumental with এ final, I notice the instance where a peculiar Sanskrit idiom is expressed in Bengali: In আমায় তোমায় বোঝা পড়া আছে, আমায় and তোমায় correspond to ত্বয়া-ময়া as in অদ্য যুদ্ধম্ ত্বয়া-ময়া.

দিয়া—We have noticed the instrumental case-ending 'তে' and its variant 'দে' in the Māgadhi Prākṛta which is usually designated as Jaina Prākṛta. It is surmised by some that this দে is but the changed  form of earlier হি.

This দে can be clearly recognised in the instrumental case-ending 'দি' in use in the district of Rangpur and 'দেই' in use in Oriya. This archaic 'দি' of Rangpur is now used as 'দিয়া' in standard Bengali language; as such it has no connection with 'দা' to give; nor the upstart দ্বারা set up by the Pandits, can have any relationship with it.

হতে—I have traced the genesis of হতে in the previous lecture and have shown there, that in its origin as well as in its general use in our vernacular, হতে is purely the sign of the ablative case. In such a use as আমা হতে হেন কার্য্য না হবে সাধন, the word হতে signifies certainly instrumentality, but its ablative sense is also noticeable in the use; the action 'flowing out of me' can be construed to be the underlying idea.

Dative.—In Assamese we get 'লৈ' as a special dative case-ending, while in Bengali and Oriya, we have the same 'কু' or 'ক' or 'কে'-suffix both for accusative and dative.