TRACING VEDIC DIALECTS - People.fas.harvard.edu
TRACING VEDIC DIALECTS - People.fas.harvard.edu
TRACING VEDIC DIALECTS - People.fas.harvard.edu
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occurrence of the opt. in -īta (AB,KB, Up.s, BŚS, other Sūtras, later language,<br />
cf.O.v.H, Überblick, § 444 ). 22<br />
* Syntax provides some useful materials as well, especially the varying use of<br />
particles, the persistent occurrence of tmesis even in some of the later texts<br />
(Śrautasūtras: BŚS ), etc.<br />
* Typical expressions (phrases) and stereotype sentences again can be used<br />
as evidence, e.g., phrases like ya evam veda: ya evavidvān, or such<br />
stereotype sentences that had become traditional by the time of the YV-<br />
Saṃhitās, like devāś ca-asurāś ca sayattā āsan :: ..°ca-aspardhanta. 23<br />
* However, typical examples of the style of a particular Vedic text or school<br />
should be treated with caution or should be avoided. One can only study the<br />
spread of such features as a <strong>fas</strong>hion among fellow speakers of a learned<br />
language, comparable to such modernisms as chairman > chair(person), user<br />
friendly, etc. On the other hand, the sudden diffusion of a certain particle<br />
may reflect the actually spoken general language (cf. recent German also<br />
'thus' or Dutch dus 'thus' at the beginning of nearly every other sentence in<br />
not so precise, colloquial speech, or Japanese (speaker's name) desu-kedo...<<br />
keredomo "though," in answering the telephone. 24<br />
Typical examples in Vedic are the spread of khalu or svid, or of the various<br />
combinations of (u) (ha) (vai), or phrases like eṣā...sthitiḥ; brahmavādino<br />
vadanti, etc.<br />
22 So far attested at: AB 3.19.10, 3.45.7, 4.7.3, 6.21.12 (thus also in the older parts of AB!);<br />
KB 4.4, 19.10, KU 3.8, ChU 6.14.1; PrU 5.1; BŚS very frequent, BhŚS, etc.; note also –iyuḥ<br />
for –īyuḥ in AB,KB.--- Could this be an Eastern development: KB < AB < BŚS, due to the -<br />
e- preterite, see O.v. Hinüber, Überblick § 445 and MSS 36 p. 39 sqq.? In that case, did one<br />
want to make a distinction of forms with e-pret. from the forms in -ī-/-i- of the Opt.? Cf.<br />
analogical forms, O.v. Hinüber, §435: TB sanem instead of saneyam, Pāli labhe (cf. Renou,<br />
Gramm. Skte.§282); cf. also the confusion arising in late Vedic of forms with the augment<br />
a- (meaning "vorzeitig,"/ "pluperfect" value), and the other pret. forms, see below, § 5.2). -<br />
Bronkhorst, in his treatment of Śvetaketu, makes wrong use of some of these data; he<br />
simply attributes the usage of -īta in various texts to the same synchronic level (ĀpDhS =<br />
AB,KB!), without paying any attention to the problems of textual layers, problems of<br />
composition of the texts, redactional activity, dialect spread, and geographical distribution<br />
(AB,KB, Taitt. Sūtras: BŚS, ĀpŚS, BhŚS, etc.). Pure 'diachronic' treatment and<br />
speculation, especially with texts of unknown date and unknown authors, is fruitless.<br />
23 See author in WZKS 23.<br />
24 "this is XY, though...." which carries no meaning whatsoever, except to leave the caller,<br />
psychologically, room to state what he/she wants.<br />
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