पृष्ठम्:The Sanskrit Language (T.Burrow).djvu/२५४

विकिस्रोतः तः
एतत् पृष्ठम् अपरिष्कृतम् अस्ति

248 THE DECLENSION OF NOUNS Toch. du. kanwem ' knees '). It is probable that originally a corresponding extension -r could be added in the nom. acc. sg, whence the two types of suffix -ura/una- in derivative adjectival stems. In the early language these endings are, with very rare exceptions, used only with neuter nouns. In adjectives the neuter is not normally distinguished in form outside the non.- acc. In the classical language the n-forms are the rule for neuter substantives, but optional in the case of adjectives. The -n- has already in the earliest language spread to the instrumental singular of the masculines ( sununa ). Examples of this kind of inflection in neuter i-stems are ex- ceedingly rare (aksini ' eyes ') and the only common neuter that inflects in this way, vdri ' water gen. sg. vdrinas , does not appear in the earliest language. This is to be expected in view of the rarity of such stems, the existence of an alternative type of heteroclitic declension (dsthi/asthnds) , and the fact that the adjectival i-stems do not, any more than the corresponding 11- stems, distinguish the neuter in these cases in the early lan- guage (gen. sg. nt. bhUres). Nevertheless it may be assumed to be old from the existence of the alternating suffixes - ira-jina - and the fact that this -n- has already in the earliest language spread to the instr. sg. of the masculines. In the Veda the neuter nouns in -it may as a third alternative inflect according to the normal masculine type: gen. sg. mddhos, dros, snos, etc. This is an innovation which is elim- inated in the classical grammar. The neuter type of declension shows three types of loc. sg. in the w-stems which differ from the normal type of the masculine stems ( sunau ). (1) A locative without ending appears in sdno , vdsto . This type appears also in Iranian (Av. pdtdto, O. Pers. Babirauv , gddav-d), and it corresponds to similar formations from w-stems ( aksdn ), except that the characteristic accentua- tion of the loc. sg. has been eliminated. In sanavi this forma- tion is extended by the addition of locatival -i as has happened in aksdni , etc. In the Vedic language this type has been ex- tended to a small number of masculines ( dnavi , ddsyavi , etc,). (3) The locative may be made on the basis of the stem extended by -n- : sinuni , vastuni. This becomes the regular inflection in the classical language. The common masc.-fem. type, consisting originally of adjec- tives and agent nouns, but at an early period enriched by