The Origin and Development of the Bengali Language/Part 1/Preface
PREFACE
In 1921 the University of London accepted my thesis on ‘the Origin and Development of the Bengali Language’ for the degree of ‘Doctor of Literature.’ The present work is substantially the same thesis, but it has been entirely re-written and in some portions re-arranged, and has also been considerably augmented by the inclusion of some new matter.
The idea of systematically investigating the history of my mother- tongue first struck me over twelve years ago when I was at college in my native town of Calcutta reading for the Master of Arts examination in English with Old and Middle English and History of the English Language and a little Germanic Philology as my special subjects. The modern methods of linguistic investigation which I saw applied to English filled me with admiration and enthusiasm; and as the problem of Indo-European is equally connected with my own speech, my interests naturally began to turn wistfully in that direction. From Morris and Skeat, Sweet and Wright, and Jespersen and the rest, and from Helfenstein and Brugmann,—masters of Indo-Aryan philology like Chlenbeck and Wackernagel, Whitney and Pischel, Beames and Bhandarkar, Hoernle and Grierson and others were naturally approached aad studied for guidance and light; and I began also to look round myself, to observe facts in the words as written and as actually spoken. A few years of haphazard reading and observation, and taking notes, and stumbling on in this way, while working as Assistant Professor and Lecturer in English and in Comparative Philology in the University of Calcutta; and then in 1916 I presented as a three years’ research programme for the Premchand Roychand Studentship of the Calcutta University a scheme for ‘an Essay towards an Historical and Comparative Grammar of the Bengali Language,’ with a specimen of my work embodied in a thesis on ‘the Sounds of Modern Bengali’ as a preliminary to the investigation of Bengal Phonology. My programme and my thesis were approved by the adjudicators, the late Principal Rāmèndra Sundara Trivēdī and Mahāmahopādhyāya Paṇḍit Haraprasāda Śāstrī, M.A., C.I.E. For the University Jubilee Research Prize for the following vear the subject was announced as ‘Comparative Philology with special reference to the Bengali Dialects,’ and this allowed me an opportunity to put into shape my notes on the dialects of Bengali, while winning me the prize. The three years’ work as Premchand Roychand student consisted of a monograph on the Persian element in Bengali, a study of the Bengali verb and verb-roots, and a study of the language of the Old Bengal Caryā poems, combined with further notes on Bengali Phonetics.
In 1919 I was selected for a Government of India linguistic scholarship for the scientific study of Sanskrit in Europe. My three years’ stay in Europe, during 1919-1922, at the Universities of London and Paris, has naturally enough been of the greatest value for me in my work. It enabled me to come in touch in London with scholars like Dr. L. D. Barnett, with whom I read Prakrit, and who supervised my work in London; Dr. F. W. Thomas. who as lecturer in Comparative Philology at University College guided me in my study of Indo-European Philology; Professor Daniel Jones, under whom I studied Phonetics, who was not only my «śikṣā-guru» but also a warm friend and helper; besides Sir E. Denison Ross, Director of the School of Oriental Strides, and most sympathetic of men, and Professor R. W. Chambers (of University College), and Messrs. E. H. G. Grattan and Robin Flower (also of University College}, whose classes respectively in Persian, Old English, Gothic and Old Irish I attended; and in Paris, I had the privilege of sitting at the feet of a master like Professor Antoine Meillet for different branches of Indo-European linguistics, and of studying Sanskrit and other Indo-Aryan philology under Professor Jules Bloch, besides meeting other eminent scholars like Professors Sylvain Lévi, Paul Pelliot and Jean Przyloski. While I was in England Sir George Grierson took a persona! interest in ny work, an interest which manifested itself in many ways and which he in his kindness and his love of science still retains. This has benefited me to the greatest degree imaginable; and the fellowship of con:mon studies with this dyer of Indo-Aryan Linguistics which it has been my very great fortune to enjoy, bas been, along with my coming in similar personal touch with Professor Jules Bloch, an inspiration in my studies and my labours; and I may say the same of my coming to know Professor Meillet, the sarvat and the teacher, To all these gentlemen I have to convey my most grateful thanks fur all their kindnesses and for all that I have received frou them as them pupil.
The work, while it was being prepared in London in 1920-1921, had the advantage of being looked over in its first draft (except in some sections relating to the verb) by Dr. Barnett: and I am very grateful to him for much helpful advice in suggesting improvements in arrangement and in the general treatment, as well as for some references. Atter it was approved by the University of London, Sir George Grierson, in spite of his very heavy and urgent scientific work, honoured my book, in M.S., by a careful perusal, awit his criticisms and suggestions he embodied im several pages of notes, Professor Julee Bloch also did the same thing. These notes I constantly kept beside me in re-writing my thesis. Everywhere I have profited by their criticisms, and in most cases I have accepted their suggestions. I have also received some references and one or two suggestions from my friends in Calcutta while finally preparing the work for the press, and these have been acknowledged in their proper places. I have to mention here specially the names of Professor Hem Chandra Rāychaudhuri, my old college friend and colleague in the University, and of Professor Satyendranāth Basu af the University of Dacca, for some suggestions in the earlier part of the work.
In preparing the present work, the plan adopted by Professor Bloch im his ‘Formation de la Langue marathe’ bas given me the clearest notions about what a book on the origin and development of a modern Indo-Aryan language should contain: and Professor Bloch’s work, which Sir George Grierson has described as ‘without any donbt the most important book dealing with the Modern Indian languages that has appeared since the publication of Hoernle's Grammar of the Gatudian Languages in 1850,’ has, in the clarity of its exposition and in the width of its erudition as well as in the sureness of its judgment, offered me the best model that I eould have. But in my own book, as I find, I had to discuss many points, some of them side-issues. especially in the Introduction, which should be but merely touched upon om oa work of a professedly linguistic character, not being immediately à proper for history of language; and perhaps, I had to be fuller in detail; and at times, repetition became, unavoidable. That was due partly to the fact that an appreciation of the racial, historical and cultural background was thought to be helpful in following the linguistic development; and the reason of the repetition is that the work of re-writing and printing my hook went hand-in-hand (so that I had no opportunity of surveying the present work as a whole before the printing of it was finished), and that the same phenomenon had to he viewed from different aspects, and a repetition of a fact cr an argument was felt to be necessary where a mere reference was not enough. I hope, however, that the general unity of the work has not suffered thereby. I have tried my best not to be dogmatic, and although I had to speculate and hypothesize at times to explain facts, I hope I have not let loose my fancy to roam freely, unchecked by the restraints of science. In my book no great points have been raised, no remarkable theories advanced; and fortunately there is hardly any scope for that. I have simply tried te apply the methods of Comparative Philology, as aceepted by the present- day masters of the science, in working out the history of Bengali. A number of things have come into my notice as one of the first workers in the field along what may be called scientific lines, at least among Bengali speakers: and these would strike any other observer. Many of the views expressed may ultimately prove to be wrong, with the aecession of new facts—as, for instance, from the systematic study of the dialects of Bengali and of the cognate speeches. The work here submitted, however, is the onteome of sincere labour in a subject for which I have the greatest love, and it is here presented as an Essay towards an Historical and Comparative Grammar of Bengali, and as a contribution towards the scientific study of the Modern Aryan languages of India.
Linguistics as a modern science is still in its infancy in India, and the meagre dose of ‘Comparative Philology’ or ‘Historical Grammar’ which our college students reading advanced courses in Sanskrit or English, not supplementing it by any acquaintance with another cognate language of equal importance, most unwillingly gulp down, is hopelessly inadequate to create an intelligent interest in the subject. Added to this initial difficulty, Indo-Aryan linguistics both of the classical and modern periods has formed the favourite haunt of mere amateurs who seek to compensate for their want of knowledge of the principles of historical grammar and of the modern science of language by professing utter contempt of it; and the professed student of literature who knows the language but not its history shares in this contempt. To make confusion worse confounded, the spirit of scholasticism is not yet dead; we have elaborate grammars of Sanskrit masquerading as Bengali grammar, in which the genuine Bengali forms have been branded as valear (asādhu) beside the so-called ‘polite’ (sādhu) forms borrowed from Sanskrit. The first professedly historical grammar and etymological dictionary of Bengali (by that erudite and versatile scholar Rāi Bahādur Yogesh Chandra Rāy Vidyānidhi, published by the Vangīya Sāhitya Pariṣad, Bengali year 1319-1322), for instance, has not been able to shake off the Sanskrit idea by appreciating the true line of linguistic development. A historical grammar of Bengali in the true sense of the term there has never been in Bengali; and there has not been a work exclusively on Bengali by any European scholar, on the lines of Trumpp’s Sindhī Grammar, or Kellogg’s Hindī Grammar, or C. J. Lyall’s Sketch of Hindustani, to guide the Bengali scholar in acquiring a true perspective which the too hear presence of Sanskrit and the fact of the language being his mother- tongue generally blur for him. But there have at times been refreshing manifestations of common sense in writing grammars of Bengali. The first Bengali to write a grammar of bis mother-tongue was the Father of Modern India, the great Rājā Ram Mohun Rav, whose work was published om English in 1826, and in Bengali in 1833; and he knew what we should mean by ‘Bengali.’ Chintāmani Gāŋguli’s book (published in the early eighties) is a great advanee on the so-called Bengali grammars of the period, and in recent times we have Nakulêśvara Vidvyābhuṣaṇa’s little book (first edition Bengali year 1305, fourth edition 1315), and mention may be made of Hŗsikėśa Śāstrī’s hook (Bengali vear 1307 = 1900). But the first Bengali with a scientific insight to attack the problems of the language was the poet Rabindranath Tagore; and it is flattering for the votaries of Philology to find in one who is the greatest writer in the language, and a great poet and seer for all time, a keen philologist as well, distinguished alike by an assiduous enquiry into the facts of the language and by a scholarly appreciation of the methods and findings of the modern western philologist. The work of Rabindranath is in the shape of a few essays (now collected in one volume) on Bengali phonetics, Bengali onomatopoetics, and on the Bengali noun, and on other topics, the earliest of which appeared tn the early nineties. and some fresh papers appeared only several years ago. These papers may be said to have shown to the Bengali enquiring into the problems of his language the proper lines of approaching them.
Two works, however, though not on historical grammar, have been specially useful in writing this book, and I cannot be too grateful te the scholars responsible for them. These are the Bengali Dictionary of Jñānêndra Mōhan Dās, and the edition of the ‘Śrī-Kŗṣṇa-Kīrttana,’ our most important Middle Bengali text, by Basanta Rañjan Rāy Vidvad- vallabha, The former work presents the richest collection of material for phonology and for the study of the formative affixes of both New Bengali and Middle Bengali; and the latter with its excellent commentary and word index, especially the latter, has been an invaluable help for both phonology and morphology, For the rest, stray papers and monographs on points of vocabulary and grammar, in the Journal of the Vaŋgīya Sāhitya Pariṣad and in periodicals like the Prabāsī,’ have at times been requisitioned, These latter of course are not always up-to-date in their methods, but have nevertheless been very useful. My obligations in each case are indicated at the proper place. In connexion with the chapter on the Phonology of the Persian Element in Bengali, I have to acknowledge gratefully the assistance I received from my friend Khan Bahādur Shamsn-l-’Ulamā, Maulavī Muḥammad Hidāyat Husain, PH.D., of the Presidency College, Calcutta, with whom I went through my list of Perso-Arabic loan-words in Bengali in relation to their original forms.
I have not given a bibliography separately, as all the books consulted or referred to have been sufficiently described in the text.
To indicate the pronunciation I have given phonetic transcriptions [within square brackets] in the alphabet of the International Phonetic Association slightly modified for Bengali. This has been noted in a special section immediately before the list of Contents.
The book is now placed before the public, and while I do so I recall with the greatest sorrow that Sir Asutosh Mookerjee is no longer in our midst to see it completed. Sir Asutosh’s services to his University and to his people and his towering personality are well known in our country, and I need not dilate upon them here. For the foreign scholar interested in Indian Philology and in the spread of modern science in India to form some idea of the work of Sir Asutosh in the University of Calcutta, I would refer to the obituary note on him from Professor Sylvain Lévi, who had occasion to know the man as well as his ideals and achievements, in the ‘Journal Asiatique’ for 1924. In his sudden and untimely death in May 1924, I mourn the loss not only of a great national figure but also of a personal friend, and especially of one who was keenly interested in this work. Those of us who were privileged to come in intimate touch with his personality and followed his lead in university matters can say whole- heartedly that his indeed was a «svādu sakhyam» as well as a «svādvī praṇitiḥ». After my return from Europe late in 1922, I was at a loss how to print my book, and naturally I turned to Sir Asutosh, my patron, my friend, philosopher and guide, Sir Asutosh had watched my career abroad, and he at once offered to publish my book through my Alma Mater, For over a decade before that time, Sir Asutosh had been actively engaged in establishing and furthering the study of Bengali and other Indian Modern Languages in the University of Calcutta. He was responsible for the foundation of the first post of research-lecturer for an Indian language in an Indian University—the Bengali research fellowship established in 1913. After creating the University Departments of Post-graduate Teaching and Research in Arts and Science in 1916, which formally transformed Calcutta University from an examining body (teaching but indirectly throuh affiliated colleges) into a teaching and investigating one, he instituted the study of Indian Vernaculars as a subject for the M. A. examination in 1919. He made provision for the teaching ofall the important vernaculars of India, Aryan and Dravidian; and at his instanee important volumes of typical selections from the different North Indian languages were undertaken and published. In 1922, he founded the Khaira chair of Indian Linguistics and Phonetics with the endowments furnished by the late Kumār Guruprasād Singh of Khaira, and selected me as its incumbent. Sir Asutosh’s idea was to establish in Calcutta a school of Indian philology, in the widest sense of the term. He had a number of well thought-out plans, but death has put a stop to all of them. When my book was taken up by the University Press, Sir Asutosh showed a personal interest in it, and after the initial difficulties in preparing the necessary types with diacritical marks were overcome, thanks to his solicitude, he watched the progress of the work, and was at times impatient at the delay. It was a most cherished hope of mine that he would see the completion of the work, and it is my greatest regret that this hope remains unfulfilled.
While carrying the book through the press, I have received uniform kindness and encouragement from everybody concerned, and I cannot be too grateful to them. I have to express my thanks especially to the Assistant Registrar of the University, Bābu Yogesh Chandra Chakravartti, M.A., whose unfailing courtesy and prompt action have been of great help ; to Bābu Atul Chandra Ghaṭak, M.A., Superintendent of the University Press, who took a keen interest in my book, and granted me every facility that the University Press could offer, and allowed me many special privileges : his kindness has been constant during the three years that the book took to print—the first forme was printed early in 1923, and the last ones in 1926; to Bābu Kālīpada Dās, B.A., Chief Assistant in the University Press, whose expert proof-reading and whose most intelligent interest have saved me from many a typographical error and many a lapsus calami, I have also to record that the compositors in the University Press, Bengali young men all of them, appreciated my labours and gave their most cheerful coöperation. A number of typographical errors nevertheless will appear. For these I am to a large extent responsible, as all the proofs from first to last (there were some- times five or six proofs to read before one forme could be printed) were corrected by me. In the Additives and Corrections at the end of the book I have pointed out such typographical and other errors as have come to my notice, but I fear some more, though I hope they are of a trivial sort, have escaped my scrutiny, and for this 1 crave the indulgence of the reader.
For the Index, I am indebted to Bābu Sukumār Sēn, M.A., Lecturer in Comparative Philology, formerly pupil and now colleague in the University. He very kindly volunteered to prepare an index of all the Bengali words, and thus relieved me of a great burden. As he has been one of the very few serious students of Comparative Philology in our midst, whose enthusiasm for the subject is as great and as sound as his conscientious industry and his scholarly outlook, and who is himself engaged in philological researches, I could not wish this part of the work to be entrusted into better hands. He has the best thanks of his whilom teacher and friend.
I have indicated the scope of my work in a detailed list of Contents, and a further index of the topics discussed, as well as of the names, would have increased the bulk of the work and delayed the publication for a still longer period. The Contents I hope will be found to be enough.
« Méga biblíon, méga kakón » : the great evil however has been done—the text of my book, barring the Contents and the Index, runs up to neatly 1100 pages ; but this could not be helped—as the subject, it must be admitted, is a very wide one. I have not stinted any labour, and I have tried to do my best : but
« ā paritōṣād viduṣaṁ na sādhu manyē prayōga-vijñānam ».
The University,
Calcutta : Suniti Kumar Chatterji.
15 June, 1926.