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All of these features, however, have either been largely neglected, or have at least never been investigated in the context of Vedic dialects. Another reason why one does not have an idea how there could have existed dialects in Vedic is that one does not really know when the texts were composed or where. Without an area of composition (or redaction) for a Vedic text, there are, of course, no dialects. In fact, the Vedic texts seem to have been composed at an unknown time in an unknown area (of N. India); in other words, even after some 150 years of studying the texts, a dark mist still covers the whole Vedic period, which makes it very difficult to make out who did what, where, and at what time. The only point usually admitted is the relative chronology of the texts (see below § 4.2.1, 4.2.5), and even in this area there is no general agreement. I believe that we can finally move a few steps further. I have tried to localise as many texts as possible in the Fel. Vol. Eggermont (Louvain 1986/7). The absolute dates of the texts remain in balance, if we do not take refuge in external evidence like the Mitanni agreement of ca. 1380 B.C., 7hich mentions the Vedic gods, or the often discussed date of the Buddha and the age of the older Upaniṣads. The results are summarised in the maps and in the tables provided below where the texts are dated according to the linguistic developments found in them. 10 On this basis, we can observe a number of dialect divergencies in the post Ṛgvedic (i.e. Middle Vedic) texts. I refrain here, to a large extent, from dealing with the RV, as this text is clearly much older and limited to the Panjab and its surroundings. The AV knows all of the N. Indian plains of the Ganges-Yamunā doab / Uttar Pradesh. Mantra language in general can be distinguished both from Ṛgvedic as well as from the prose of the Yajurveda Saṃhitās and of the Brāhmaṇas. The various levels of development of the Vedic language are briefly described below (§ 4.3): When we arrange the data according to these levels and to the geographical position mentioned in the maps, we arrive at a few striking results: 9 See K. Hoffmann, Aufs. p. 581; the two other cases of RV kur- are 'popular' forms as well. 10 See: Wackernagel, Ai.Gr.I, and the add. of L.Renou; Renou, Histoire de la langue Sanskrite, Lyon-Paris 1956; K.Hoffmann, Inj., and: Aufs., passim; see especially, J.Narten, Die Sprache 14 ; cf. also Gonda, Old Indian, Leiden 1971 and OLZ 1977, 205-207; cf. author, WZKS 24, p.22-24. 6
* 1st: there are regional differences in Vedic (as will be described in detail in the main part of this paper). 11 Unfortunately, this has not been followed up so far. * 2nd: these regional differences are not static throughout the Vedic period, but many of them show developments both in time and space: certain local peculiarities -- often innovations! -- spread to the next level of texts. They do not always do so in an Eastern direction, as one might think, with a view to the history of settlement of N. India, but also in other directions. When a larger number of such quickly spreading innovations are compared, a few centres of innovation emerge. It will be interesting to see where they are situated and what could have been the reasons for the diffusion of innovations. 12 * 3rd: when one studies these variations and their spread in space and time, the surprising result is a correspondence of the geographical area of some Vedic schools (śākhās) with that of certain Vedic tribes and with some archeologically attested cultures. This, ultimately, allows to date the texts for the first time (see below, § 10.5). If some of the features mentioned above are local peculiarities, i.e., dialect characteristics, then the question arises: is there a relationship with the various early Middle Indian dialects and with the other Prākṛts? The recent book of O.v. Hinüber on early Middle Indian provides, as far as features common to Vedic and Middle Indian have been identified until now, an ample discussion of the relationship between Vedic and the Prākṛts. 13 The point has been discussed earlier by M.B.Emeneau. He concentrates, however, on the 11 P.Thieme is, as far as I can see, the first who has noticed that such regional differences are clearly mirrored in Pāṇini's knowledge of Vedic texts, and that Pāṇ. is very close to (N)W texts, KS and PS, see Pāṇ. and the Veda, p.75; cf. now Cardona, Pāṇ., p. 238 sq.; cf. also K.Hoffmann, Aufs. p.470, about dialect differences in the caste language of the Brahmins. 12 If true, this alone should be sufficient to disperse the doubts of Caland, Renou regarding the use of linguistic criteria, found in various Vedic texts, for determining the relative dates of these texts, as summed up by Minard, Trois Enigmes II, §717-727. For the spread of the Vedic tribes and their culture to the East, see Rau, Staat, p.12 (where the data are not used for this purpose, cf. author, Fel. Vol. Eggermont); for the movement towards the South, see MS 4.7.9:104.14 "people move southwards, conquering," ŚB 2.3.2.2 on Naḍa Naiṣadha who daily carries Yama (death) southwards, cf. also ŚB 5.3.3.3 : one gets food in the South; Brāhmaṇic splendour is found in the North, cf. above (ann. 6) on the best speech, KB 7.6. Cf. finally, JB 2.352 "one brahmin follows the other": tasmād brāhmaṇo brahmaṇsyānucaro bhavati. 13 O.v. Hinüber, Das altere Mittelindisch im Überblick. SB Akad. Wien 1986, § 7-11. 7
Page 1 and 2: Version July 27,1987 (published Par
Page 3 and 4: 10.6. Conclusion and prospects 3
Page 5: * the better speech of the Northern
Page 9 and 10: chapter, per text or text level, th
Page 11 and 12: occurrence of the opt. in -īta (AB
Page 13 and 14: Furthermore, the comparatively grea
Page 15 and 16: the geographical data contained in
Page 17 and 18: The boundaries of various school te
Page 19 and 20: origin. It can also be noted that a
Page 21 and 22: The absolute date of the texts rema
Page 23 and 24: perhaps Māṇḍ.) AB KB PB JB Ait
Page 25 and 26: MGS VārGS KGS/LGS BGS *VādhGS BhG
Page 27 and 28: the period of the "free floating" m
Page 29 and 30: ones in other case forms: sāyāt,
Page 31 and 32: immediate surrounding dialects, cf.
Page 33 and 34: § 5 ESTABLISHING A PATTERN §5.0.
Page 35 and 36: VSM 96.120 VSM= 24.19 % VSK 94.231
Page 37 and 38: In addition to these stray findings
Page 39 and 40: Therefore, the occurrence of -ai fo
Page 41 and 42: have changed this dialect. 99 We kn
Page 43 and 44: (5 ch. mixed) BŚS (Br.ch.in storie
Page 45 and 46: were composed on the basis of an ea
Page 47 and 48: If one compares this with such deta
Page 49 and 50: early ABo 3 % TB 2 % Brāhm. (lv.4)
Page 51 and 52: development of the precative); the
Page 53 and 54: It is interesting to note that the
Page 55 and 56: ___________________________________
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JUB 2 PB 7 (ABn 9) ________________
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This result is interesting insofar
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The origin of the cluster ch is kno
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The distribution of kś also indica
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the SW Maitr., and the Kauth. SV (P
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N. India., and also its Sūtra, the
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While the preceding examples have i
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concludes that the preservation of
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'tics', and mannerisms, introduced
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Southern Jaiminīya (originally a C
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eva Taitt., nu vāva ŚBK, (but nv
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were several occasions 225 where it
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grammar, and in classical Sanskrit,
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17: Pāṇ.(?): after: bho,bhago,ad
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[túbhya hinvāná- u -avasiṣṭa
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PS 0? ŚS 0! KS 11 : 1293% (late TS
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must be made here. The Eastern Cent
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Even in subsections of a text, like
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___________________________________
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The forms in -o- are restricted to
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collection; the Upaniṣad-like sec
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MU 0 BŚS 18: 2? TA 1 3 TA 10 10 TU
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various Middle Indian dialects inde
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The Ṛgvedic nom. pl. -āsaḥ 277
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Madhyadeśa (Taitt.) innovations (o
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events which the speaker or listene
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The strong occurrences in ŚB and J
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AB 4? KN 1 ? ŚBMw 1 ( 2) 306 JBc 4
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58 (Epileg.CPD I, s.v.tmesis). Nume
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* Sandhi -e/o a- > -a a Prācya (Ś
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the early Brāḥmaṇa text, AB 1-
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Vedic held sway over the Pañcālas
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the bhāṣika accent) is lost. Nor
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on an old Western SV Br. which used
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We therefore witness, as the outcom
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territories West of it on one hand,
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If we first limit ourselves strictl
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Post-Saṃhitā developments: loss
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attention to the general political
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500- NBP NBP NBP NBP ______________
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(MS,KS,TS) it immediately appears t
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Late Harappan | and | RV various sm
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| early in the | RV hymns composed
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ABn PB KA (PB?) AA, AitU AA 5 MU Ā
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The language of the Yajñagāthās
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147
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