Bengali has four well-defined tenses. The definite present and imperfect are formed respectively by incorporating the aorist and imperfect of the auxiliary into one word with the locative case of the present participle, thus Def. Present faafe “I am seeing” (dekhite + âchhi). Def. Imperfect fafag "I was seeing" (dekhite + [â] chhinu). In the latter of these tenses the 1 pl. has in ordinary speech to a great extent usurped the place of the 1 sing., and we more frequently hear fcafe “I was seeing" (dekhite + [â]chhilâm). By incorporating the same tenses of the auxiliary into one word with the conjunctive participle (see § 73), it forms a definite preterite and a pluperfect, as Def. Preterite fenf "I have seen" (dekhiyâ + âchhi). So Here, also, fenfe is common for 1 sing. Wonderful corruptions occur in pronunciation in these tenses: loses its aspirate and becomes, so that we hear for afta a word that sounds körche, and may be written करचे, for होइतेछे “ is ” vulgo hoche (हचे ), for देखियाछे dekhiche (देखिचे), and for देखियाछिलाम dekhichilēm, or dekhchilem ( देखिचिलेम ?). also for चालितेछे " goes "chaloche (). These forms are freely used in conversation by educated persons, and some recent authors of comic novels and plays introduce them into the mouths of their characters. The same remark applies to all tenses of the verb, and it is a curious subject for speculation, whether the growth of literature will arrest the development of these forms, or whether they will succeed in forcing their way into the written language, and displace the longer and fuller forms now in use. If the latter event takes place, we shall see enacted before our eyes the process of simplifica VOL. III. 13 tion which has been so fertile a cause of the formation of the present types in the whole neo-Aryan group. I anticipate, however, that the purists, aided by the conservative influence of a literature already copious, will ultimately carry the day against the colloquial forms. Oriya has the four tenses corresponding to Bengali, but only two of them are formed with the auxiliary we are now discussing, the definite present and the definite preterite— Def. Present fe “I am doing" (pres. part. karu “doing ”). Def. Preterite af af "I have done” (p.p. kari “done”). Here, also, colloquially, the auxiliary is generally incorporated with the verb, and they say and aff respectively. In the south of the province, also, the older form of the present participle in prevails, and one hears "he is doing," and contracted f "he is." § 66. BHÚ. This widely-used root took as early as the Pali and Prakrit period the form HO; and in that form it has come down to modern times. As the ordinary substantive verb "to be," it has a full range of tenses in all the languages, and it not only serves as an auxiliary, but takes to itself the tenses of the other auxiliaries like any other verb. In the latter capacity it need not here be discussed, as the remarks which have been made concerning the ordinary verbs will apply to this verb also. Although ho is the general form of this root in all the Indian languages, yet there are one or two exceptions in which the initial bh is retained. In Pali, both bhavati and hoti are found for 3 sing. pres., abhavâ and ahuvâ impf., bhavatu and hotu impt., and in Sauraseni Prakrit we find bhodu=bharatu, bhavia bhûtva, and the like. Distinct traces of the retention of the bh are still in existence in some rustic dialects of Hindi, and in the old poets. In the latter, a p.p.p. sing. m., î✯ ƒ., pl. H, is extremely common, used alone as a preterite, or with the verbal endings, as нä, н, etc. It is also contracted into भौ; and in the modern form भया “was,' may be heard commonly in the mouths of the lower orders all over the Hindi area of the present time. This form presupposes a Pr. fa =a Skr. fa, with elision of the , and called in to fill up the hiatus. I give from Kellogg the dialectic forms (Gr. p. 236)— 3. भैलन्. Bhojpuri. 1. भोइलीं, भेलीं, 2. भेलह, The verbal affixes are the same as those in the ordinary verb explained at § 33. Chand uses the same form as in Braj and 1 Kanauji may be taken to mean the speech of the country between the Ganges and Jumna, the heart of the Hindi land; Braj, that of the right bank of the Jumna; Old-Pûrbi, of the country north of the Ganges from the Gandak river eastwards; Avadhi, that of Oudh (Avadh); Riwâi, of the country south of the Ganges and between the Chambal and the Son rivers. Braj and Old-Pûrbi are the dialects in use in the medieval poets generally. Kanauji, thus भयौ कोटि तामस तांम ॥ " He became violently disturbed with anger” (Pr. R. i. 48), अनंगपाल भयौ राज ॥ Anangapál became King " (iii. 17 ), पुब्ब कथा ज्यौं भई । सनौ "How the former matter happened, listen while I tell the wonderful tale” (iii. 15), ga k y☎ || “While the son was being (born), she became dead" (i. 170), He aft sia afam faâ "As many poems as have been (written) first and last” (i. 10), भए विकल लोग घाइल उ ताप ॥ “ The folk became distressed, (being) wounded and heated" (xxi. 5). Contracted मन भी हास करुन पुनि आद्य ॥ “ Daughter became ( arose) in her mind, then after pity came" (iii. 10). The use of this tense is so common in Chand as to supersede the other form of the preterite to a great extent. A few examples may be added from Kabir: faer ara पारबति भयऊ । तप करता संकर को दयऊ || " Her second name was Pârvati, the ascetic (i.e. Daksha) gave her to Sankara' (Ram. 26, 5), येके पुरुष येकहे नारी ।, तातें स्यनि षान भौ चारी ॥ "One male (energy), one female, from them were produced four kinds of living beings" (ib. 6), एक अंड ओंकार ते यह सब जग भयौ पसार "From one egg, the word Om, all this world has been created" (ib. 8). In these three quotations all three forms of the participle are used side by side. Tulsi Das does not confine himself to Old-Pûrbi forms, but uses, also, those classed above under Braj, as a gift æði af "It filled again and thus became salt (i.e. the sea)" (Lanka-k. 3), du xe Htc ufa "The Setubandh became सेतुबंध भद् भीर अति । very crowded" (ib. 10). But the Pûrbi form is more common, as in माथ नाइ पूछत अस भयऊ " Bowing his head, thus he was asking" (Kis-k. 2), aft zieqa aga a “Making salu tation, thus he was saying" (Ar-k. 259). The contracted form is also very common, as भे मन मुदित पाइ प्रिय साथू । “ He became (or was) enraptured at meeting with the beloved" (Ay-k. 441). Closely connected with the Bhojpuri भैल is the form भेल, used by the half-Bengali half-Maithil poet Bidyapati, as in शून भेल मन्दिर शून भेल नगरी ॥ शून भेल दशदिश शून भेल सगरी ॥ Empty has become the temple, empty has become the city, empty have become the ten regions, empty has become everything!” (Pr. K.S. 118), कोकिल कलरबे मति भेल भोरा । " From the sound of the koil's notes my mind has become distracted" (ib. 120 ). It does not vary for gender or person. I am not aware of the existence in any of the other languages of this type with the initial bh. It is, as far as I have been able to ascertain, confined to the rustic Hindi dialects mentioned above. In all other respects Hindi keeps to the type ho, like the cognate languages. The aorist has the following forms: In Hindi this tense, as mentioned before, is frequently used as a potential in all verbs, and especially so in ho, where, owing to the existence of an aorist with signification of "I am," etc., from as, the tense derived from ho is more usually employed to mean "I may be." The Pârbatia or Nepali dialect also uses this tense as a potential, thus — Sing. 1. हीं, 2. होस, 3. हो. PI. 1. हौं, 2. हो, 3. हुन. Several peculiarities call for notice in this tense. In classical Hindi there is the usual diversity of practice always observed in stems ending in â or o, as regards the method of joining the |