MacDonnell II - Wilbourhall.org

CHAPTEE IPHONETIC INTRODUCTION1. Vedic, or the langiiage of the literature of the Vedas,is represented by two main linguistic strata, in each ofwhich, again, earlier and later phases may be distinguished.The older period is that of the Mantras, the hymns andspells addressed to the gods, which are contained in thevarious Samhitas. Of these the Rigveda, which is the mostimportant, represents the earliest stage. The later periodis that of the prose theological treatises called Brahmanas.Linguistically even the oldest of them are posterior to mostof the latest parts of the Samhitas, approximating to thestage of Classical Sanskrit. But they still retain the useof the subjunctive and employ many different types of theinfinitive, while Sanskrit has lost the former and preservesonly one single type of the latter. The prose of theseworks, however, to some extent represents better than thelanguage of the Mantras the normal features of Vedicsyntax, which in the latter is somewhat interfered with bythe exigences of metre.The language of the works forming appendices to theBrahmanas, that is, of the Aranyakas and Upanisads, formsa transition to that of the Sutras, which is practicallyidentical with Classical Sanskrit.The linguistic material of the Rigveda, being more ancient,extensive, and authentic than that of the other Samhitas, allof which borrow largely from it, is taken as the basis ofthis grammar. It is, however, considerably supplementedfrom the other Samhitas. The grammatical forms of theBrahmanas, where they differ from those of ClassicalSanskrit, have been indicated in notes, while their syntax1819 B