PHONOLOGY
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are originally dhe h 3j ste h 2 , den 3 ). The theory further maintains that when preceded by these three laryngeals this same guna vowel takes the form e, a and o respectively (es- * to be ' : h ; anti ' in front 1 : w^enti ; ost(h)i- * bone ' : ii z esti). Hittite provides some positive evidence in support of this theory, but it is incomplete, and in certain respects contra- dictory. We have already quoted instances showing the de- velopment of the guna vowel -f h to d and of the change of e to a when preceded by h. On the other hand there are difficulties : although h appears where the theory demands it in hunt- : Gk. avrl it is absent in appa : Gk. wno where the theory equally demands it. In Hittite there is only one h and it is a long way from this three or even four demanded by the theory. It is not therefore surprising that the theoreticians differ considerably in the details of their exposition. For the purposes of Sanskrit grammar the question of the plurality of h is fortunately of little significance, because the variation of vowel quality (a, e, o) t with which it is bound up, has ceased to exist in Sanskrit, For all practical purposes it is possible to operate with a single, undifferentiated h, and that will usually prove sufficient. Another aspect of the Laryngeal theory should be briefly mentioned. From the beginning it has been involved in the theory of Indo-European ' Shwa ' (2). In the Laryngeal theory it is replaced by a vocalic version of the laryngeals (h with three varieties). As a result of this the laryngeals themselves com- monly receive the notation It will be pointed out below that the hypothesis of an Indo-European f is without justifica- tion either in the framework of the laryngeal theory or of any other. Indo-European h is not capable of vocalic function and when left in interconsonantal position through loss of the associated guna vowel it is in Sanskrit elided : e.g. Skt. dadmds, dadhmas from da, dhd . §14. Combinations of Occlusives The following changes in combination are inherited from Indo-European : (1) A sonant is changed into a surd when immediately fol- lowed by a surd : yuktd - * joined ' : yuj- 1 to join yugdm ‘ yoke', cf. Gk. ^€vkt 6 $ : ^vywfju ; patsu , loc. pi. of pad - ‘ foot *, cf. Gk. rrooaL, irooi. Conversely a surd becomes sonant when fol-
