Page 89 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

(Saksena 1937/1971:24) and Hindi (Koul 2008:18). But Nepali (Adhikari 2014:10-1)
exhibit न /n/ as apico-dental. Their aspirate sonorant counterparts are displayed

breathy in Chitoniya Tharu (Paudyal 2013:61) as 8ह /mʰ/, 9ह /nʰ/ and :ह /ŋʰ/ and

Awadhi (Saksena 1937/1971:24) exhibits only 8ह /mɦ/ and 9ह /nɦ/. All the nasals in

Bhojpuri exhibit phonological contrast, in terms of place of articulation and aspirate
sonorants with their close counterparts also, as shown in (7a-f).

(7) a. Minimal pairs of म /m/ and न /n/

Word-initial Inter-vocalic Word-final
मर /mʌr/ 'die (IMP)' गमल /ɡʌmʌl/ 'to be lost' दाम /dɑm/ 'price'
नर /nʌr/ 'man' गनल /ɡʌnʌl/ 'to count' दान /dɑn/ 'donation'

मार /mɑr/ 'beat/kill (IMP)' जामा /jɑmɑ/ 'shirt' काम /kɑm/ 'work'

नार /nɑr/ 'engage (IMP)' जाना /jɑnɑ/ 'labourer' कान /kɑn/ 'ear'

माल /mɑl/ 'commodity' जामल /jɑmʌl/ 'issue' जाम /jɑm/ 'germinate (IMP)'
नाल /nɑl/ 'barrel' जानल /jɑnʌl/ 'to know' जान /jɑn/ 'life/know (IMP)'

b. Minimal pairs of न /n/ and ङ /ŋ/

Word-initial Inter-vocalic Word-final
नवे /nʌwe/ 'only nine' रनल /rʌnʌl/ 'to plane' अन /ʌn/ 'food'

ङवे /ŋʌwe/ 'by the side of' रङल /rʌŋʌl/ 'to colour' अङ /ʌŋ/ 'organ'

नौ /nɔ/ 'nine' राना /rɑnɑ/ 'plane' िहन /ɦin/ 'disgraced'
ङौ /ŋɔ/ 'slow and silent' राङा /rɑŋɑ/ 'lead' िहङ /ɦiŋ/ 'asafoetida'

दाना /dɑnɑ/ 'grains, poppy seeds' िलन /lin/ 'lost in pleasure'

दाङा /dɑŋɑ/ 'riot' िलङ /liŋ/ 'penis, gender'

c. Minimal pairs of म /m/ and ङ /ŋ/

Word-initial Inter-vocalic Word-final
रमल /rʌmʌl/ 'to be amused in' िहम /ɦim/ 'ice'

रङल /rʌŋʌl/ 'to colour' िहङ /ɦiŋ/ 'asafoetida'

दामा /dɑmɑ/ 'asthma' दाम /dɑm/ 'price'

दाङा /dɑŋɑ/ 'riot' दाङ /dɑŋ/ 'a district in Nepal'

अिमआ /ʌmiɑ/ 'sour' सम /sʌm/ 'starting'

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