Chapter 16 - Vowel Sandhi

Question 1

Generally when two identical vowels, whether long or short, meet…

Answer 1

they link up and the separate words combine in writing

either by merging into one long identical vowel
a + a -> ā , i + ī -> ī, r. + r ->, ū + ū -> ū

or by merging into a transformed new vowel 
a + i -> e 
a + e -> ai
a + u -> o
a + o -> au

or by turning into vocalic counterparts

u + a -> va
i + u - > yu
r. + e -> re

Question 2

senā āgaccati (the army is coming) ->

Answer 2

senāgacchati

Question 3

kanyā gacchati iti vadati (“the girl is going”, he says.) ->

Answer 3

kanyā gacchatīti vadati

Question 4

senā tatra iti vadati (“there is the army,” he says) ->

Answer 4

senā tatreti vadati

Question 5

iti uktvā (having spoken thus) ->

Answer 5

ityuktvā

Question 6

kumārau agacchatah. (The two young men are coming) ->

Answer 6

kumārāvāgacchatah.

Question 7

vane tatra āśramah. abhavat (in the forest, there was a hermitage) ->

Answer 7

vana āśramo ‘bhavat

Question 8

vane atis.t.hat (he stood in the forest) ->

Answer 8

vane ‘atis.t.hat

Question 9

the complex vowels e ai and o (which were once *ai *āi *au)

do not merge or transform nor do they combine words in writing when they meet another vowel, instead

Answer 9

the intial sound of what what the complex vowel was originally,
*ai *āi *au , generally take the place of current form of the first word and the final sounds of *ai *āi *au are generally lost leaving a gap between the two words (they aren’t combined in writing)

but two exceptions are
e + a -> e ‘
o + a -> o ‘

retain the current form in the first word and the second word’s -a drops out and is marked with avagrahah ‘ and the words are not combined in writing

Question 10

universal exceptions to vowel sandhi

pragr.hya

Answer 10

literally “to be taken on their own”

final vowels of interjections such as ā, he, aho (ah! oh!)

they do not merge or combine with following words

Question 11

the main difference between internal and external sandhi

Answer 11

the treatment of e, o, and ai before another vowel

internal: e -> ay, o -> av, ai -> āy

external generally : e -> a, o -> a

external exception: except before -a then both remain same as e and o and the following a drops out marked as avagraha ‘

external: ai -> ā

Question 12

Ruki rule, buddha sandhi, and retroflexion of n are

Answer 12

all aspects of internal sandhi not external sandhi