The
structure of a
present-system
verb form
Ø
Obtained
by the formula:
root in suitable form + stem forming affix + personal
ending.
(The form of the root is defined by the personal
ending.)
Ø
In
the imperfect we also have a pre-augment `a-`
Ø
In
the optative there is a suffix `ya-` after the stem forming
suffix.
Thus,
we have for su (to press out)
Present:
su
+ stem forming affix +
ti = [S2]
Imperfect:
preaugment
[S3] +su
+ stem forming affix[S4] + t
= [S5]
Optative:
su
+ stem forming affix[S6] +optative
suffix[S7] +m
= [S8]
Imperative:
su
+ stem forming affix[S9] + `
` = [S10]
Present
third person singular:
dviù(in
guõa
form)
[S11] +ti
(in sandhi form) [S12] =
[S13]
|
Augment (Imperfect
only) |
Root |
Present-tense stem-forming
affix |
Optative
suffix (Optative
only) |
Personal
ending |
|
|
|
su |
-no |
|
-ti |
sunoti `s/he
presses out' |
|
a- |
su |
-no |
|
-t |
asunot `s/he
pressed out' |
|
|
su |
-nu |
-yà |
-t |
sunuyàm `s/he
might press out' |
|
|
su |
-nu |
|
|
sunu
`press
out!' |
|
|
dveù |
|
|
-ñi |
dveùñi
`s/he
hates' |
The
ten classes of present-tense stems
Thematic
Athematic
Class 1 (suffix -a)
Class 2 (root class)
Class 4 (suffix -ya)
Class 3 (reduplicating class)
Class 6 (suffix -a)
Class 5 (no / nu
class)
Class 10 (suffix -aya)
Class 7 (nasal infixing class)
Class 8 (o / u
class)
Class 9 (nà / nã
class)
Prefixes
1. The augment (a-) appears in imperfect forms,
and--outside the present system--in aorist and conditional
forms.
The addition of the augment
to a vowel-initial root causes that vowel to become its vçddhi-grade
form:
as-ya- `throw'
ukù-a-
`sprinkle'
Prefixes
2. Verbal prefixes called preverbs are used to modulate the
meaning of a verb:
Önã
`lead'
upa-nã- `introduce'
vi-nã-
`train'
The
augment follows any preverbs:
vi-a-naya-t (®
vyanayat) `s/he
trained'
Characteristics of the four
thematic classes
1. The stem always ends in a.
2. The stem doesn't exhibit vowel-grade
alternations.
3. In an open syllable, the stem-final a lengthens before any ending beginning
with m or v;
thus, there is no lengthening before ‑m in the 1st person singular imperfect
active.
4. The stem-final a is dropped before all endings
beginning with e.
5. The 2nd person singular imperative active
is simply the stem.
6. The optative suffix is ‑ã- before consonants and ‑ãy- before vowels. By sandhi,
a- + -ã- ®
e ;
a- + -ãy- ®
ey .
Stem formation in the
thematic classes
1st class (bhå- class)
e.g. bhå‑
`become'
ruh‑
`grow'
stem = root + a-
nã‑ `lead'
¯
jãv-
`live'
guõa,
if possible nind‑
`blame'
6th
class (tud‑ class) e.g.
tud‑ `push'
kùip-
`throw'
stem = root + a-
vi÷- `enter'
¯
zero grade
4th
class (div‑ class)
e.g. kup‑ `be angry'
nah-
`bind'
stem = root + ya-
pa÷- `see'
¯
div-
`play'
unchanged
10th class (cur‑ class)
stem = root ending in a vowel
e.g. bhå‑
`become'
root ending in aC-
pat-
`fall'
¯
vçddhi
+ aya-
= root ending in VC-
cur-
`steal'
¯
guõa
= root ending in à- + paya- dà-
`give'
Irregularities in stem
formation in the thematic classes
-ccha:
Class 1 gam- `go'
gaccha-
yam-
`furnish'
yaccha-
Class 6 iù-
`wish'
iccha-
prach-
`ask'
pçccha-
ç- `move'
çccha-
Irregularities
in stem formation in the thematic classes
lengthening of root
vowel:
Class 1 guh- `hide'
gåha-
kram-
`step'
kràma-
(act.)
krama-
(mid.)
Class 4 ÷am- `become quiet'
ֈmya-
bhram-
`wander'
bhràmya-
Irregularities
in stem formation in the thematic classes
loss of a nasal after the
root vowel:
Class 1 daü÷-
`bite'
da÷a-
Class 4 ra¤j- `redden'
rajya-
Irregularities
in stem formation in the thematic classes
insertion of a nasal after
the root vowel:
Class 6 muc- `release'
mu¤ca-
kçt-
`cut'
kçnta-
lip-
`besmear'
limpa-
Irregularities
in stem formation in the thematic classes
reduplication of the
root:
Class
1 sthà- `stand'
tiùñha-
ghrà-
`smell'
jighra-
pà-
`drink'
piba-
Irregularities
in stem formation in the thematic classes
unexpected vowel grade:
Class
4 jan- `be born' Class 10
janaya-
Class
4 dam- `tame' Class
10
damaya-
Personal
endings for thematic present-tense stems
|
|
|
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
|
Primary
endings (present
indicative) |
Active
voice |
1st |
‑mi |
‑vaþ |
‑maþ |
|
2nd |
‑si |
‑thaþ
|
‑tha | ||
|
3rd |
‑ti |
‑taþ |
‑nti | ||
|
Middle
voice |
1st |
‑e |
‑vahe |
‑mahe | |
|
2nd |
‑se |
‑ethe |
‑dhve | ||
|
3rd |
‑te |
-ete |
‑nte |
Personal
endings for thematic present-tense stems
|
|
|
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
|
Secondary
endings (imperfect,
[optative]) |
Active
voice |
1st |
‑m
[-am] |
‑va |
‑ma |
|
2nd |
‑þ |
‑tam |
‑ta | ||
|
3rd |
‑t |
‑tàm |
‑n
[‑uþ] | ||
|
Middle
voice |
1st |
‑i
[‑a] |
‑vahi |
‑mahi | |
|
2nd |
‑thàþ |
‑ethàm [-àthàm] |
‑dhvam | ||
|
3rd |
‑ta |
‑etàm [‑àtàm] |
‑nta
[‑ran] |
Personal
endings for thematic present-tense stems
|
|
|
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
|
Imperative
endings |
Active
voice |
1st |
‑àni |
‑àva |
‑àma |
|
2nd |
-- |
‑tam |
‑ta | ||
|
3rd |
‑tu |
‑tàm |
‑ntu | ||
|
Middle
voice |
1st |
‑ai |
‑àvahai |
‑àmahai | |
|
2nd |
‑sva |
‑ethàm
|
‑dhvam | ||
|
3rd |
‑tàm |
‑etàm |
‑ntàm
|
General
characteristics of the athematic conjugation
1. Athematic stems never take the theme
vowel a.
2. Athematic stems show vowel
gradation: the strong (guõa grade) stem appears
- in the 1st,
2nd, 3rd singular indicative active;
- in the 1st,
2nd, 3rd singular imperfect active;
- in all 1st
persons of the imperative active and middle;
- in the 3rd
singular imperative active.
Elsewhere, the weak stem appears.
3. In the optative active, ‑yà- is added to the weak stem;
‑yà- is reduced to -y- before the 3rd plural optative active
ending ‑ur.
In the optative middle,
-ã- (before endings beginning with
consonants) or -ãy- (before endings
beginning with vowels) is added to the weak stem.
Stem formation in the
athematic conjugation
Class 2 (ad‑ class) e.g.
ad- `eat'
vid-
`know'
stem = root
Class 3 (hu‑ class)
e.g. hu‑ `sacrifice'
bhã‑
`be afraid'
stem = reduplicated root
bhç-
`carry'
Roots: [ C V ... ]
[ C[sibilant] C[voiceless] V ... ]
[ C1 C2 V ... ]
|
Root
consonant |
Reduplicative
consonant |
|
aspirate velar h Otherwise:
C |
nonaspirate palatal j C |
|
Root
vowel |
Reduplicative
vowel |
|
long
or short ç Otherwise:
long or short V |
i V |
Class 5 (su- class)
e.g. su‑ `press out'
àp-
`obtain'
no-
stem
= root +
nu-
Class 7 (rudh- class) e.g.
rudh- `obstruct'
yuj-
`join'
stem
is the result of infixing
-na-
after the root vowel
-n-
Class 8 (tan- class)
e.g. tan- `stretch'
kç-
`make'
o-
stem
= root +
u-
Class
9 (krã- class)
e.g. krã- `buy'
a÷-
`eat'
nà-
stem
= root +
nã-
Particular
characteristics of the athematic classes
Class
5
1. If the root ends with a vowel:
-
nu‑ may reduce to n- before endings with initial m or v:
su-nu-vaþ or su-n-vaþ, but àp-nu-vaþ.
- The 2nd singular
imperative active is endingless: sunu, but àpnuhi.
2. If the root ends with a
consonant:
- nu‑ ®
nuv‑ before endings with initial
vowels: àp-nuv-anti, but su-nv-anti.
Particular
characteristics of the athematic classes
Class 8: identical in conjugation to class
5.
Particular characteristics of the athematic
classes
Class 9
1. nã- reduces to n- before endings beginning with
vowels.
2.
If the root ends in a
consonant, the 2nd singular imperative active has ‑àna, which replaces the stem-forming
suffix: a÷-àna, but krã-õã-hi.
Particular
characteristics of the athematic classes
Class 7: no
idiosyncrasies.
Particular
characteristics of the athematic classes
Class 3
1. The endings of the 3rd plural active in
the indicative, imperfect, and imperative are ‑ati, -uþ, ‑atu, respectively.
2.
A stem-final vowel appears in the guõa
grade before the 3rd plural imperfect active ending ‑uþ.
Particular
characteristics of the athematic classes
Class 2
1. There are a number of roots with
idiosyncratic inflections in this class--see Gonda sec.
64.
2. Certain roots insert -i- before endings beginning with
consonants other than y; these also
insert -a-/-ã- before the 2nd and 3rd singular
imperfect active endings--
an-i-ti
`he breathes'
àn-a-t /
àn-ã-t `he
breathed'
an-yà-t
`he might breathe'
Personal endings for
athematic present-tense stems
|
|
|
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
|
|
Active
voice |
1st |
‑mi |
‑vaþ |
‑maþ |
|
Primary
endings (present
indicative) |
2nd |
‑si |
‑thaþ
|
‑tha | |
|
3rd |
‑ti |
‑taþ |
‑anti
(1) Cl.
III: ‑ati (1) | ||
|
Middle
voice |
1st |
‑e |
‑vahe |
‑mahe | |
|
2nd |
‑se |
‑àthe
(1) |
‑dhve | ||
|
3rd |
‑te |
-àte
(1) |
‑ate
(1) |
(1) Differs from the
corresponding inflection for thematic stems.
Personal endings for
athematic present-tense stems
|
|
|
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
|
|
Active
voice |
1st |
‑am
(1) |
‑va |
‑ma |
|
Secondary
endings (imperfect,
[optative]) |
2nd |
‑þ |
‑tam
|
‑ta | |
|
3rd |
‑t |
‑tàm |
‑an
(1) Cl.
III: ‑uþ (1) [‑uþ] | ||
|
|
1st |
‑i
[‑a] |
‑vahi |
‑mahi | |
|
Middle
voice |
2nd |
‑thàþ |
‑àthàm
(1) |
‑dhvam | |
|
|
3rd |
‑ta |
‑àtàm
(1) |
‑ata
(1)
[‑ran] |
(1) Differs from the
corresponding inflection for thematic stems.
Personal
endings for athematic present-tense stems
|
|
|
|
Singular |
Dual |
Plural |
|
|
Active
voice |
1st |
‑àni |
‑àva |
‑àma |
|
Imperative
endings |
2nd |
‑dhi
/C__ (1)
‑hi
/V__
(1) Cl.
V,VIII: ‑‑ (2) Cl.
IX: ‑àna (1),(3) |
‑tam |
‑ta | |
|
3rd |
‑tu |
‑tàm |
‑antu
(1) Cl.
III: ‑atu (1) | ||
|
Middle
voice |
1st |
‑ai |
‑àvahai |
‑àmahai | |
|
2nd |
‑sva |
‑àthàm
(1) |
‑dhvam | ||
|
|
3rd |
‑tàm |
‑àtàm
(1) |
‑atàm
(1) |
(1) Differs from the
corresponding inflection for thematic stems.
(2) Only when the verb root
ends with a vowel; otherwise, ‑hi.
(3) Replaces the stem‑forming
suffix if the root ends in a consonant.