Page 136 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

(11) a. िबख /bikʰ/ 'poison' + झार /ȷ ̈ ɑr/ 'remove' = िबGझर /bikʰȷ ̈ ʌr/ 'poison remover'

b. िबख /bikʰ/ 'poison' + धार /d ̤ ɑr/ 'owner' = िबGधर /bikʰd ̤ ʌr/ 'poisonous'

c. शंख /sʌŋkʰ/ 'shell' + धार /d ̤ ɑr/ 'owner' = शंखधर /sʌŋkʰd ̤ ʌr/ 'Lord Vishnu'
In examples (11a-c), the low back vowel आ /ɑ/ in the succeeding segment धार

/d ̤ ɑr/ has been raised to its semi-low counterpart अ /ʌ/ in all the derivatives.

5.2.3 Vowel raising in both segments
During raising, a vowel is raised in both the segments, as shown in (12a-c).

(12) a. धान /d ̤ ɑn/ 'paddy' + सार /sɑr/ 'store' = धIसर /d ̤ ʌnsʌr/ 'paddy godown'

b. राह /rɑɦ/ ‘way’ + बाट /bɑʈ/ ‘way’ = रहबट /rʌɦbʌʈ/ ‘wayout of a village

especially for women’
c. मुदा+ /murdɑ/ ‘corpse’ + घाटी /ɡ ̈ ɑʈi/ ‘bank’ = मुद+घटी /murdɡ ̈ ʌʈi/ ‘graveyard’

In examples (12a-c) the medial low back आ /ɑ/ in both the segments has raised

to its semi-low counterpart अ /ʌ/ in all the derivatives.
Moreover, the process of deletion and raising occurs together either in the

preceding or in succeeding or in both the segments, as shown in (13a-c).

(13) a. पानी /pɑni/ 'water' + घाट /ɡ ̈ ɑʈ/ 'bank' = पनघट /pʌnɡ ̈ ʌʈ/ 'bank of a river or
pond for water pulling'

b. कान /kɑn/ 'ear' + चाटी /cɑʈi/ 'front' = कंचट /kʌncʌʈ/ 'upper cheek'

c. पानी /pɑni/ 'water' + चाटी /cɑʈi/ 'front' = पंचट /pʌncʌʈ/ 'discoloured'
In examples (13a-c), the medial low back vowel आ /ɑ/ in both the segments has

been raised to its semi-low counterpart अ /ʌ/ and the final इ /i/ in the preceding segment

is deleted in (13a), the medial low back vowel आ /ɑ/ in both the segments has raised to

its semi-low counterpart अ /ʌ/ and the final इ /i/ in the succeeding segment is deleted in

(13b) and the medial low back vowel आ /ɑ/ in both the segments has raised to its semi-

low counterpart अ /ʌ/ and the final इ /i/ in both segments is deleted in (13c).
5.3 Assimilation

Assimilation is conditioned by surrounding segments. It occurs where a
segment becomes phonetically more similar to an influencing segment (Symons,

1993:27). It occurs with alteration of the phoneme due to contraction between the
final of the preceding and initial of the succeeding segments in Bhojpuri, traditionally

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