Page 138 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

In examples (15a-c), the final low back vowel आ /a/ is deleted and the dental

voiced unaspirated stop द /d/ in the succeeding segment is devoiced in contact with the

final स /s/ of the initial segment in (15a). The medial low back vowel आ /a/ is raised to its

semi-low counterpart अ /ʌ/ in the preceding segment its final स /s/ causes devoicing of the
initial ग /ɡ/ of the succeeding segment in (15b). Similarly, final स /s/ of the preceding

segment causes devoicing of the initial ड /ɖ/ of the succeeding segment in (15c).

b) Regressive assimilation
A segment influences the preceding segment in regressive assimilation.

Bhojpuri records some regressive factors involved in assimilation as follows:
(i) Voicing

If a voiceless unaspirated or aspirated phoneme comes into contact with a
voiced or breathy one, it is assimilated into its voiced counterpart, as shown in (16):

(16) a. बाप् /bɑp/ ‘father’ + बेटी /beʈi/ ‘daughter’ = बाSबेटी /pɑbbeʈi/ ‘father and

daughter’: प् /p/ + ब् /b/ = Sब /bb/.
b. गत् /ɡʌt/ ‘back’ + दार् /dɑr/ ‘performer’ = गTार् /ɡʌddɑr/ ‘traitor’: त् /t/ + द्

/d/ = Uद् /dd/.

c. डाक् /ɖɑk/ ‘post’ + घर् /ɡ ̈ ʌr/ ‘house’ = डाWघर् /ɖɑɡɡ ̈ ʌr/ ‘post-office’: क् /k/ + घ्

/ɡ ̈ / = Wघ् /ɡɡ ̈ /.

d. अप् /ʌp/ ‘bad’ + जस् /jʌs/ ‘fame’ = अSजस /ʌbjʌs/ ‘defame’: प् /p/ + ज् /j/ = Sज् /bj/.
e. गत् /ɡʌt/ ‘passed’ + बेर् /ber/ ‘time’ = गद् बेर् /ɡʌdber/ 'twilight': त् /t/ + ब् /b/ = Uब् /db/.

(ii) Devoicing

The voiced unaspirated dental stop द् /d/ is changed into its voiceless

counterpart त् /t/, if comes into contact of the voiceless ones, as shown in (17a-j):

(17) a. पद् /pʌd/ ‘post’ + करम /kʌrʌm/ ‘work’ = पAकरम /pʌtkʌrʌm/ 'accountability': द्
/d/ + क् /k/ = Aक् /tk/.

b. सुद् /sud/ ‘interest’ + खोर /kʰor/ ‘eater’ = सुAखोर /sutkʰor/ ‘exploiter’: द् /d/ +

ख् /kʰ/ = Aख् /tkʰ/.

c. कंद् /kʌnd/ ‘root’ + फल /pʰʌl/ ‘fruit’ = कंAफल /kʌntpʰʌl/ ‘roots and fruits’: द् /d/

+ फ् /pʰ/ = Aफ् /tpʰ/.

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