Vṛddhi (also rendered vr̥ddhi) is a technical term in morphophonology given to the strongest grade in the vowel gradation system of Sanskrit and of Proto-Indo-European. The term is derived from Sanskrit वृद्धि vṛddhi, , 'growth', from .

Origins

Vṛddhi itself has its origins in proto-vṛddhi, a process in the early stage of the Proto-Indo-European language originally for forming possessive derivatives of ablauting noun stems, with the meaning "of, belonging to, descended from". To form a vṛddhi-derivative, one takes the zero-grade of the ablauting stem (i.e. removes the vowel), inserts the vowel *e in a position which does not necessarily match that of the original vowel, and appends an accented thematic vowel (or accents any existing final thematic vowel). For example:

The above example also displays the stressing of the thematic vowel when it already exists. It is this later version of proto-vṛddhi which is displayed in Sanskrit's lengthened vṛddhi grade.

For example:

  • "carried" (zero grade)
  • "burden" (first grade, full grade, or guṇa)
  • "to be carried" (second grade, lengthened grade, or vṛddhi)

The full pattern of vowel gradation can be observed as follows:

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Vowel gradation

|- style="text-align:center;"

! !! Zero grade !! ← 1st grade → !! 2nd grade

|- style="text-align:center;"

! Open

| ∅ || <big>a</big>|| <big>ā</big>

|- style="text-align:center;"

! Palatal

| <big>i/ī <br /> y <br /> i/ī</big>|| <big>e <br /> ay <br /> ya</big>|| <big>ai <br /> āy <br /> yā</big>

|- style="text-align:center;"

! Labial

| <big>u/ū <br /> v <br /> u/ū</big>|| <big>o <br /> av <br /> va</big>|| <big>au <br /> āv <br /> vā</big>

|- style="text-align:center;"

! Retroflex

| <big>ṛ <br /> r <br /> ṛ</big>|| <big>ar <br /> ar <br /> ra</big>|| <big>ār <br /> ār <br /> rā</big>

|- style="text-align:center;"

! Dental

| <big>ḷ</big>|| <big>al</big>|| <big>āl</big>

|}

Vṛddhi in Indo-European

In modern Indo-European linguistics it is used in Pāṇini's sense and applied to the Indo-European languages in general. The feature is considered to have been inherited from the Proto-Indo-European language.

  • (zero grade of the reconstructed verb meaning "to carry")
  • (full grade)
  • (vṛddhi, lengthened grade)

Notes

References

Sources