18 



ADJECTITES. 



[ §§ 41-44. 



§ 41. It may be therefore remembered that what corresponds to the 

 prdkrit derived termination °^-d in High Hindi, is the prakrit derived 

 termination o^.^ Maithili ; both corresponding to the prdkrit nominative 

 in °#T-o, and both apparently derived from it. 



§ 42. Similarly prakrit derived nouns, adjectives, and genitives in 

 High Hindi ending in °W[-d, form their feminines by changing this "^^ri-a into 



while prakrit derived nouns and adjectives in Maithili ending in °^-a, form 

 their feminines by changing the into This i-uledoes not, be it 



observed, apply to the genitive in Maithili, which has lost all trace of its 

 former adjectival form. That the termination of the genitive °'sfi-k (a) was 

 originally an adjective, and derived from the Sarnskrit ^cf krita, through the 

 prakrit keraka or kelaka as suggested by Mr. Hoernle cannot I 



think admit of a doubt ; for we have even at the present day the form 

 -ker used alongside of o^-^a, and a study of the older Maithili poems, shows 

 that the former termination is the more ancient, and has only been sup- 

 planted by, or contracted into the latter in comparatively modern times. 



§ 43. To return, however to the subject of gender, the first rule to be 

 observed is that in Maithili, Prakrit-derived words ending in short °'^-a, 

 form their feminine in short '^x,- '- 



Examples : 



Ma sc. Fern. 

 JTR fair iilf^ go}-\ 



^^ bar great wf^ bar\ 



^fk^T. budhidr wise ^f^lfT budhidr 



Note. — sriTyo?' also has an irregular feminine JTlfr^T gorid. 

 § 44. The secoud rxale is peculiar to Maithili, and is as follows. Many 

 pure Sarnskrit tvords ending in adopted unaltered in Maithili, form 



their feminines in short °%.i ; and that, ivhether in Sarnskrit these words 

 form, their feminines in long H-l or not. 

 Examples : 



Masc. Fern. 



Sarnskrit 1 . ( ^'^•^ sundaH, 



' y ^53^ sundar beautiful s " ^ , , 



Maitliili ) ^ ( ^J^R sundar . 



S. ')T^.d]insar ( ^ijE^ dhiisard. ovvm^ dhtlsan. 



M. ) dusty / ■y.^fft dliusar . 



S. ] . r ^(5Tcrr atyantd. 



y ^fiiiT atyant excessive < _ , 

 M. ) ( ^mV^ atyant . 



