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ArchivesSwitch of "h" to "y" in some Indian languages
Hi !!!
I know this question is very technical but I'd like to verify what I found.
I came across this fact twice: names Chooha and Hansika (both from Hindi) that are animals so commonly-used words ("mouse" and "swan") are found with the y instead of h in many cases of usage.
Can anyone more expert than me in these languages confirm this fact if is it true?
Personal Name Lists https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/125456
I know this question is very technical but I'd like to verify what I found.
I came across this fact twice: names Chooha and Hansika (both from Hindi) that are animals so commonly-used words ("mouse" and "swan") are found with the y instead of h in many cases of usage.
Can anyone more expert than me in these languages confirm this fact if is it true?
Personal Name Lists https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/125456
This message was edited 2/21/2019, 2:31 PM
1
Replies
I am surprised by the spelling with a y. I have never seen that in India. The -h- is pretty strong in most Indian languages in India
The usual shifts are
s sh in East India (the direction varies)
sh -> kh in North India (the sh was actually the retroflex S which is palatal in the greater north)
gy East dn West (the original was j+palatal n)
ru West and East ri North and East (the original was syllabic r)
anything+y -> doubled anything East
y -> j East
miscellaneous nasal shifts (hm->mh etc.)
miscellaneous fronting etc.
The usual shifts are
s sh in East India (the direction varies)
sh -> kh in North India (the sh was actually the retroflex S which is palatal in the greater north)
gy East dn West (the original was j+palatal n)
ru West and East ri North and East (the original was syllabic r)
anything+y -> doubled anything East
y -> j East
miscellaneous nasal shifts (hm->mh etc.)
miscellaneous fronting etc.
1
Thank you a lot!!!
So in your opinion I misunderstood? I checked for those names (Chuha>Chuyia = mouse) and Hansika>Yansika = swan ...
If you know that these are wrong please don't be afraid, I'd be glad to ear your opinion :)
So in your opinion I misunderstood? I checked for those names (Chuha>Chuyia = mouse) and Hansika>Yansika = swan ...
If you know that these are wrong please don't be afraid, I'd be glad to ear your opinion :)
1
chuha to chuhiya is hypocoristic. The spelling (or, indeed, the pronunciation) chuiya is rare; but it is used in the movie Water. May be there are parts of North East India where the -h- between high (semi-)vowels does disappear, but I am not familiar with it. The intervocalic, especially between high vowels, environment does seem to soften the -h-, but in my experience it is always heard.
I am doubtful that Yansika is from Hansika. India is a big country, so it is possible that such a dialectical variant can exist somewhere, but I am not familiar with it.
I am doubtful that Yansika is from Hansika. India is a big country, so it is possible that such a dialectical variant can exist somewhere, but I am not familiar with it.
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