User:Frigoris/Consonantal changes

Sound changes from Indo./Iranian/Toch. languages into Chinese, possibly reflecting underlying Prakrit/Toch./otherwise IE languages.

• tr before e/i -> l ~ r
  • 利 (MC lijH) in 忉利天 ~ Gandhari 𐨟𐨿𐨪𐨁𐨭 (triśa, “thirty”), Sanskrit त्रिंशत् (triṃśat)
  • 利 (MC lijH) in 剎利 (MC tsrhaet lijH) = 剎帝利 (MC tsrhaet tejH lijH) ~ Sanskrit क्षत्रिय (kṣatriya), but this is fairly expected from Skt. too: tr -> t.l
  • 彌勒 (MC mjie lok) ~ Tocharian A Metrak: not into *mVt-rVk, but *mV-trVk > mV-lVk

• d/dv before i (and e?) -> l
  • 閻浮利 (MC yem bjuw lijH) ~ Gandhari 𐨗𐨎𐨦𐨂𐨡𐨁𐨬 (jaṃbudiva), Khotanese Jaṃbutīvä, Tocharian B Jambudvīp, Sanskrit जम्बुद्वीप (jambudvīpa); from द्वीप (dvīpa), see Pali dīpa

  Cf. ḍ -> ḷ -> l, as in 迦樓羅 (MC kja|kae luw la) ~ Sanskrit गरुड (garuḍa), Pali garuḷa

  • d ~ l alternation so "natural", the Sogdians uses the lamedh letter for /θ, ð/

• ś ~ s -> y (IPA /j/) before/with -k-/-g-
  • As in Ashoka's name, 阿育 (MC 'a yuwk) ~ Ashokan Prakrit 𑀅𑀲𑁄𑀓 (asoka), component from Sanskrit शोक (śoka)
  • 劫波育 (MC kjaep pa yuwk) ~ Sanskrit कर्पास (karpāsa), possibly reflecting underlying Prakrit/intermediate lang. -k(a) (attributive? "made of cotton", see vrddhied कार्पासक (kārpāsaka)) or °sakī for feminine
  • 夷 (MC yij) in 優婆夷 (MC 'juw ba yij) ~ BHS Sanskrit उपासिका f (upāsikā), Tocharian B upāsakāñca; in the masculine: Ashokan Prakrit 𑀉𑀧𑀸𑀲𑀓 (upāsaka); Gandhari 𐨀𐨂𐨬𐨯𐨒 m (uvasaga) sometimes with cauda combined to s, 𐨀𐨂𐨀𐨯𐨹𐨅𐨀𐨞 m pl (uas̲eaṇa, genitive), 𐨀𐨂𐨬𐨯𐨹𐨒𐨅𐨞𐨆 m sg (uvas̲ageṇo, instrumental)

• v/b/p -> ɦ, ɦʷ, ɦu, like, a jump from labial to glottal, possibly reflecting the weakening of the ɦ- initial in Chinese
  • 桓 (MC hwan) in 釋提桓因 (MC syek dej hwan 'jin) ~ Sanskrit देवानाम् m pl (devānām, literally “of the devas”)
  • 泥洹 (MC nej hjwon|hwan) ~ Sanskrit निर्वाण (nirvāṇa), Tocharian B nervāṃ
  • 須陀洹 (MC sju da hjwon|hwan) ~ Sanskrit स्रोतापन्न (srotāpanna)
  • 衛 (MC hjwejH) in 俱那衛 (MC kju na hjwejH); the Indo. form was kanavīra-, Tamil கணவீரம் (kaṇavīram) ~ BHS Sanskrit करवीर (karavīra), Tocharian B karavīräṣṣa f (adj.). Also, 舍衛 (MC syaeX|syaeH hjwejH) (～城) ~ Sanskrit श्रावस्ती (Śrāvastī)
  • Conversely, 娑婆 (MC sa ba) ~ Sanskrit सहा (sahā)