()6 A. F. Rudolf Hoernle— Essays on the Gaurian Languages. [No. X* 
is evident the Gaurian neuter forms in ^f, ^ fy must be susceptible of 
such an explanation as accounts for the phonetic increase without shutting' 
out the possibility of phonetic disintegration in these same forms. 
I think a clue to the right interpretation of these neuters in (Hindi 
Br. Bh.), ijf (Hindi Sura Dasa), 'is (Hindi, Alw., and Marathi), ^ (Gujarati 
and Naipali) ; y (Marathi) ; ^ (Marathi) is given us by the Gaurian 
infinitives. Let us take, for example, the infinitive to do or doing. It is 
in the Low Hindi dialect of the Braj of Ahvar , of Sura Dasa 
; in Marathi in Naipali (or ?). The common 
opinion, I believe, is that all these forms are verbal nouns formed by the 
Sanskrit affix and that their original is the Sanskrit and Prakrit form 
* This, as has been shown in the preceding paragraph, is impossible, 
because it contradicts the glottic laws. Their origin must be a different one. 
In Marathi the meaning of the infinitive is only one out of many, and that a 
subordinate one, of and all words of this class. To express the infinitive 
it has a proper form in connected with, though not derived from, the 
Sanskrit infinitive in g. The proximate and principal meaning of ^T^djVin 
Marathi is that of the Latin gerund. But Marathi possesses two forms 
of the gerund, one in and another in A" ; besides it has also the form 
; e. g., incitement to act is and ^tcpertt Now 
if we turn to the Prakrit and Sanskrit we find the origin of these forms. 
We meet with two Sanskrit affixes forming gerunds, or part. fut. pass., of 
which latter the gerund is merely a particular usage ; viz. and rT^T* 
In Prakrit these become or and (see Pr. Prak. II, 17. VII, 
33.). Now it can easily be shown that these affixes will account for the 
two alternative forms of the gerund in Maratlif. The common Prakrit 
prose representative of the Sanskrit root is (see Pr. Prak. XII, 15.). 
Of this root we obtain with the affix the gerund ( = Skr. 
and with the affix the form ^fycr®qT which is the more polished 
form (enjoined by the Pr. Prak. VII, 83.), or cjrctf^r (= Skr. which 
was probably the vulgar form of it. In either form (^rf-Cc^ or ^rycf^) 
the medial cf would become elided (according to the ordinary rules of 
Prakrit), thus making or (the forms given by Pr. Prak. VII, 
33.). Next these forms become contracted by sandhi to and finally 
one of the two ^’s is elided (according to the Gaurian law explained in 
Essay II.), and the preceding short ^ lengthened ; thus we obtain the form 
* Bopp (Comp. Grammar § 875) adopts this opinion but with much hesitation, 
f Cowell in his Pr. Grammar, p. 68, gives from one MS. the form or 
If these are at all trustworthy, the analogous forms or exhibit 
a form very nearly identical with the present Marathi form and a.ltogethe r 
identical with the Braj Bhasha gerund , on which more will be said further on. 
