Word initial retroflex ṇ (ण)

[Radhakrishna Warrier]

I believe that words beginning with the retroflex ṇ (ण) are non-existent in modern Indian languages. But decades ago, when I was working in north India, I saw words that begin with ṇ (ण), especially the word णम in a printed Jain religious text that a Jain colleague was holding. I asked him what language it was.  Apparently, he didn’t know, but said it was Sanskrit. But the words in the text didn’t look like Sanskrit.  Also, I was pretty sure that णम was not a Sanskrit word.  At that time, however, I did not think much about it, though it all got stored in some part of my brain.  Yesterday I was surfing the web with Jainism related topics and found this mantra online:

णमो अरिहंताणं -णमो सिद्धाण -णमो आइरियाणं -णमो उवज्झायाणं -णमो लोए सव्वसाहूणं 

The website says it is Prakrit.  I am not sure if Prakrit words begin with retroflex ṇ.  What language is this?  Is this an Apabhraṃśa language? णम is obviously a cognate of Sanskrit नमः. 

It is quite interesting to find word initial ṇ (ण) in the Indic language milieu.  I don’t think word initial ṇ (ण) existed either at the time of Vedic Sanskrit or at the time when Pali and other Prakrits were spoken languages.  Languages of the Dravidian family also do not have words beginning with retroflex ṇ.  And ṇ is no longer there as a word initial sound in modern Indian languages.  At what period in the evolution of Indian languages did ṇ (ण) exist as a word initial sound?

Regards,

Radhakrishna Warrier

[Hnbhat B.R.]

It is Prakrit converted from Sanskrit namaH. Prakrit changes Sanskrit na into Na according to Prakrit rules of grammar. 

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[Madhav Deshpande]

Yes, in Prakrits words can begin with ṇ.  Sanskrit nirgrantha becomes ṇigaṇṭha, Sanskrit jñāna becomes ṇāṇa, and Sanskrit namati becomes ṇamai.  This is very common in Ardhamāgadhi Prakrit, the language of the Jain canonical texts.  The line you quote [णमो अरिहंताणं -णमो सिद्धाणं -णमो आइरियाणं -णमो उवज्झायाणं -णमो लोए सव्वसाहूणं] is from Jain texts.  

Madhav M. Deshpande

Professor Emeritus

Sanskrit and Linguistics

University of Michigan

[Residence: Campbell, California]

[rshuklaps]

many prakrit text writing in various Acharya and scholars in this language. please see text of the sanskrit history books written by winternits. very old contributin of the prakrit text in indian culture.

Dr. Rajnish shukla

Dr. Ranjish Shukla

[Madhav Deshpande]

Out of curiosity, I checked the Prakrit Dictionary पाइअसद्दमहण्णवो for words beginning with ण.  The listing of such words goes from p. 376 to p. 423, an enormously long list of such words.

Madhav Deshpande

[Madhav Deshpande]

Dear Warrier Ji,

     I think this is a distinct possibility that an alveolar /ṉ/ gets represented as an alternation between n/ṇ, though we don't have any Śikṣā texts describing the pronunciation of Prakrits.  Some confusion beween n/ṇ even with respect to the pronunciation of the R̥gveda in the region of Magadha is manifest in the discussions in the Aitareya Āraṇyaka where there is a debate about whether the Saṃhitā is aṇakāra and aṣakāra, or saṇakāra and saṣakāra.  Here, the Magadhavāsī Hrasva Māṇḍūkeya has the saṇakāra and saṣakāra Saṃhitā, while some others did not.  Here, Śākalya follows the tradition of Māṇḍūkeya.  The aṇakāra and aṣakāra Saṃhitā, mentioned in this debate, has not been transmitted to us. But its existence is hinted at. Not only the initial n, but even medial n can appear as ṇ in some ancient dialects from this region.  For example, the Māgadhī Prakrit spoken by the character of Śakāra in the Mr̥cchakaṭika has वसन्तशेणा for the Sanskrit वसन्तसेना.  Such a thing can happen in Ardhamāgadhī (jñāna > ṇāṇa) and Pāli (jñāna > ñāṇa).

Madhav M. Deshpande

Professor Emeritus

Sanskrit and Linguistics

University of Michigan

[Residence: Campbell, California]

On Wed, Mar 6, 2019 at 4:28 PM Radhakrishna Warrier <radwa...@hotmail.com> wrote:

So, it appears that word-initial /n/ in most words changed to /ṇ/ in Ardhamāgadhi Prakrit.

Could this use of word-initial /ṇ/ be an attempt to transcribe a word initial alveolar /ṉ/?

It is my experience that in modern Indian languages other than Malayalam, the word-initial dental /n/ is pronounced as alveolar /ṉ/.  Sanskrit namaḥ is pronounced as ṉamaḥ.  In languages other than Malayalam, I think /n/ and /ṉ/ are allophones and speakers don’t realize the difference; they pronounce /n/ as alveolar /ṉ/ in all positions except when it forms the first part of a conjunct letter --  for example, the word nandan is pronounced as ṉandaṉ.  The distinction between dental /n/ and alveolar /ṉ/ is maintained in written Tamil as ந and ன but this distinction has been lost in spoken Tamil.  For example, the Tamil word for “I” is nāṉ (நான்) but this word is invariably pronounced as ṉāṉ (னான்).  

Regards,

Radhakrishna Warrier

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From: bvpar...@googlegroups.com <bvpar...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Madhav Deshpande <mmd...@umich.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2019 12:34 PM
To: भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Word initial retroflex ṇ (ण)

 

[Radhakrishna Warrier]

So, it appears that word-initial /n/ in most words changed to /ṇ/ in Ardhamāgadhi Prakrit.

Could this use of word-initial /ṇ/ be an attempt to transcribe a word initial alveolar /ṉ/?

It is my experience that in modern Indian languages other than Malayalam, the word-initial dental /n/ is pronounced as alveolar /ṉ/.  Sanskrit namaḥ is pronounced as ṉamaḥ.  In languages other than Malayalam, I think /n/ and /ṉ/ are allophones and speakers don’t realize the difference; they pronounce /n/ as alveolar /ṉ/ in all positions except when it forms the first part of a conjunct letter --  for example, the word nandan is pronounced as ṉandaṉ.  The distinction between dental /n/ and alveolar /ṉ/ is maintained in written Tamil as ந and ன but this distinction has been lost in spoken Tamil.  For example, the Tamil word for “I” is nāṉ (நான்) but this word is invariably pronounced as ṉāṉ (னான்).  

Regards,

Radhakrishna Warrier

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From: bvpar...@googlegroups.com <bvpar...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Madhav Deshpande <mmd...@umich.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2019 12:34 PM
To: भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Word initial retroflex ṇ (ण)

 

[Arjun Kashyap]

Dear Warrier ji,

As per Hemachandra's Prakrit Vyakaranam;

नो णः॥ हे.व्या. १-२२८

स्वरात् परस्य असंयुक्तस्य अनादेर्नस्य णो भवति। नयणं इत्यादि। 

But this is not for ‘ādi nakāra’, the very next sūtra states;

वादौ॥ हे.व्या. १-२२९

असंयुक्तस्यादौ वर्तमानस्य नस्य णो वा भवति। णरो, णमो इत्यादि।

पाइअम्मि/प्राकृते	संस्कृते

णमो अरिहंताणं

नमो अरिहन्त्रृभ्यः
णमो सिद्धाणं	नमो सिद्धेभ्यः
णमो आयरियाणं	नमो आचार्येभ्यः
णमो उवज्झायाणं	नमो उपाध्यायेभ्यः
णमो लोए सव्व साहूणं	नमो लोके (स्थितेभ्यः) सर्वसधुभ्यः

Here in णमोकार मंत्र the pāṇiniyan rule of ‘नमः स्वस्ति स्वाहा स्वधा अलं वषट् योगाच्च।’ does not apply. So the nouns are in द्वितीया not in चतुर्थी।

We can find the words derived from Prakrit to other Indian languages as Apabhramsh. Even the southern languages carry the influence of Prakrit.

Regards.

Dr. Arjun Kashyap

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Your's

H.G. ARJUN KASHYAP

[Arjun Kashyap]

Please correct 'सर्वसधुभ्यः' with सर्वसाधुभ्यः.

Regards

Dr. Arjun Kashyap