A chain shift in Indo-Aryan, with special reference to Gujarati dialects

Abstract

This paper explores a possible chain shift in Gujarati dialects, involving the consonants k, kh, c, ch, s, ś, h, ḥ, V̤, and ∅ (where ś denotes IPA [ʃ], ḥ voiceless [h], V̤ a murmured vowel, and ∅ “zero”). The chain shift can be discerned by comparing the colloquial forms in the regional dialects with the standard Gujarati forms and those of Central Indo-Aryan languages like Hindi. This comparison yields the following correspondences, giving the standard and Central Indo-Aryan sounds first: k, kh = c, ch; c, ch = s or ś; s = ḥ; h = V̤ or ∅. The paper demonstrates that this set of correspondences between standard Gujarati and the dialects is a large one, and that it indeed suggests a chain shift, taken up differentially in the various dialects analyzed (Kathiawadi, Surti, Charotari, and Pattani). For the chain shift, the standard is firmly in the Central Indo-Aryan camp, while the dialects analyzed align more closely with Western Indo-Aryan.