PHONOLOGY 94 jasaiti , Gk, fidafcw ; prcchdti ‘asks', Av. pzrzsaiti, Lat. poscit . We must assume that in these cases Aryan s and s were assimi- lated to ss which was then treated as above. It should be noted that Skt. ch is different from the other consonants among which it is classified in that it is always a long or double con- sonant. It is a matter of indifference whether ch or cch is written, though it is customary to use the former at the be- ginning of a word and the latter in the middle. §16. Combinations Involving Sibilants Indo-European s became z when followed by a sonant occlusive. This z became i in primitive Indo-lranian under the same conditions that s became s (Skt. s), In Iranian z and i are preserved : Av. hazdydt 4 would sit down ’ {sad-, Ir. had-), mizda- 4 reward 4 , Goth, mizdo. In Sanskrit they are eliminated in the following ways : (a) Before unlike consonants 2 and z (Aryan z) are replaced by d and d respectively : ddga - 4 branch ’ : PahL azg ; madgu- 4 a water bird majj- 4 to dive ’ « *madj-<*mazj-) ; Lith. mazgoti 4 dive 1 ; instr. pi. usddbhis , mddbhis from usds- 4 dawn mis- 4 month 1 ; viprudbhis, instr. pi. of viprus - 4 drop (b) Followed by dental d, dh, z is elided and a preceding vowel a is changed to e : edhi 2 sg. impv. 4 be 4 : Av, zdx {as-) ; seddr for *sazdur 3 pi. perf. of sad - 4 to sit 4 : cf. Av. hazdydt ; nddistha- 4 nearest 4 : Av. nazdista * ; medha 4 wisdom 4 : cf. Av. mazdd 4 wise 4 ; miyddha- 4 food offered to the gods/ : Av. myazda- ; ddhvam 4 sit ’ 2 pi. impv. from as- ; sasadhi from sds- etc. This applies also to cases where 2 developed from original d : cf. dehi, dhehi above. A different treatment is seen in addhi adv. 4 certainly 4 : Av. O. Pers. azdd . (c) Before d, dh , z (which may be derived from IE $ or from the old palatals, § 15) is elided with cerebralisation of the fol- lowing consonant, and compensatory lengthening of a short vowel : ntdd- 4 nest Lat. nidus, Engl, nest (*nizdo- from ni + sed-}; midhd- ‘reward 4 , Av. mizda-, 0 . SI. mizda, Gk. /itaflo?, Goth, mizdo ; duldbha - 4 difficult to deceive 4 [dus + dabh Vedic l for d) ; pid- 4 to press 4 (cf. pis - 1 to pound '), hid- 4 to injure 4 (cf. hints- 4 id ’) krid- ‘ to play 4 (cf. ON hrista 4 shake 4 ) for pizd -, hizd-, krizd- ; astodhvam 2 pi. mid. s-aor. of stu - 4 to praise 4 ; mrdika- 4 mercy 4 (first syllable metrically
