Relliquiae Philologica

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1895 Excerpt: ... THE SANSKRIT LIQUIDS. Preface. The term liquids is conveniently used to denote the sounds l and r, which, although of very different formation, are closely connected and exercise a curious influence over each other in most Indo-European Languages. The history of these sounds has not been satisfactorily traced in any of these languages, and accordingly there has been little scope for deducing the primitive state of things. The reason has partly been that Sanskrit--which in general is our mainstay for consonantal sounds--appears to show the wildest confusion in dealing with these particular consonants, while Armenian, which with its full system of liquids should be a good guide, has as yet offered too few words of certain etymology to throw much light behind. It has therefore been the usual practice to assume that Indo-European possessed two liquids l and r, which were dental in articulation, and two liquid sonants corresponding, l and f, --that the European languages and Armenian reflect this difference faithfully--and that Sanskrit is quite irregular1, but with a preponderating number of its l's corresponding to I.-Eu. l. 1 No explanation of this irregularity cated roots (Grds. i. 282). It will be is forthcoming. Brugmann hazards necessary to mention this hypothesis only one conjecture;--that confusion below. The variation in Sanskrit he arose in Indo-European times from is compelled simply to record. Ib. dissimilation in the case of redupli- 254. It seemed therefore worth while to attempt to bring some order into the facts presented by Sanskrit, and as any regularity that existed might most naturally be expected in Vedic, my attention is primarily directed thereto. But, as the Vedic remains which have come down to us naturally do not contain a ...