Page:The history of the Bengali language (1920).pdf/295

Rh an euphonic mutation of 'র,' in Bengali; and কের্ as a suffix has never been known in our language.

That এর্ is but an euphonic mutation of র will be clearly seen on reference to the rules of idiomatic use of র and এর in Bengali: (1) এগার-র (where final is non-হসন্ত), আমার, দাদা-র, দিদি-র, রাণী-র, সাধু-র, বধূ-র, ছেলে-র, আলো-র are examples of words of various final sounds taking 'র' as the genitive-signifying suffix. (2) When the final is হসন্ত, which is never the case in Oriya, the simple suffix র cannot be assimilated with the word, and so এর is to be suffixed; e.g., রাখাল্-র makes 'র' a separate or non-হসন্ত syllable unsuited to the genius of Bengali pronunciation, and so we have রাখাল-এর, এক-এর, দশ-এর, etc. (3) Non-হসন্ত words of one letter, i.e., to say non-হসন্ত single consonants treated as words must take 'এর' to maintain their distinctness as words; e.g., ক-এর আঁকড়ী, শ (contracted form of শব)-এর কড়ি, etc.; contrast with them কবিতায়, যত-র সঙ্গে এত-র ভাল মিল হয়না. (4) Words ending with compound letters always generate non-হসন্ত sounds (unlike what it is in Hindi) in Bengali and yet they take এর্ and not র as we may notice in কষ্টের, গন্ধের, চন্দ্রের, etc. In Eastern Bengal, however, simple র is affixed in such cases in spoken language following perhaps the general rule which is in the air. (5) When the final sound is ঐ (অই) or ঔ (অউ), the final ই or উ becomes separate syllable and as such the euphony requires the affixing of এর্; e.g., দই-এর, বউ-এর, etc.

I have heard this example adduced by some to illustrate the use of কের as a suffix in Bengali, viz., কতকের as in কতকের পর্য্যায় but it is overlooked that here ক is an otiose ক to which according to the previously illustrated rule এর has to be suffixed; if we refer to কতকে in such an expression as 'এ মাছটা কতকে কিন্‌লে' the situation will be clear. It will be invariably found, that where কের occurs, it