TRACING VEDIC DIALECTS - People.fas.harvard.edu

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While the two preceding investigations, that into the gen. fem. in -ai and the
one into the diffusion of the narrative perfect, were confined to the post-
Ṛgvedic texts, the following sections allow one to trace the development of
certain particular features back to the Ṛgveda, as well as down to the latest
levels of Vedic language and texts.
§5.4 Infinitives in -toḥ
The infinitive in -toḥ is found 11 times in the RV, while in the next level of
texts, the Mantra language of the YV Saṃhitās, it is found 16 times (in both
KS and MS, though both texts differ only marginally in size from the RV.)
With the RV text calculated = 100 % and the MS text at 88% of the RV text,
the 16 cases of MS come to 101 % in comparison to RV's 11 = 100%. The use
of -tos has thus decreased by more than half at the time of ŚS (40%), but this
seems to be conditioned by special factors, perhaps of location, as PS has
108%. This infinitive then gains prominence again in the older YV Saṃhitā of
the Kaṭhas (171%) and increase further with the Taitirīyas.
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RV 11x 147 PS 7? ŚS 2?
100 % 108% 40%
KS 16
171%
MS 16 TS 19: 141%
101% TB 11: 138%
TA 2: ŚBKo 7 ŚBMo 13: 180%
142%
AB 20: 289% KB 5: 160%
(ABo 7:274%) KA 1: VādhB 2 ŚBMw 3: 58%
(+īśvara)
PB 7: 194% JB 30: 92% ŚBMn 7: 243%
146 For the relationship of spṛdh and sam.yat, see below, § 7.4 .
147 Avery, JAOS X, 1876, p.219 sqq, counts 12 cases for RV.
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