Re: By-/vy alternation in hinter-India

Dear Ven. Nyanatusita,

> It is not clear to me what mean with ``it does not seem possible to
> pronounce a 'w' and a 'y' at the same time''? I probably
> misunderstand you but as far as I know they are not pronounced at
> the same time. The 'v' is  pronounced in a way in between the
> English `v' and 'w' and there is apparently no exactly corresponding
> sound in English. The 'y' in vy- and by- is pronounced as in `yes'
> with a trace of an `i' in between the v/b and y, like a Svarabhakti
> vowel.

I agree with you that the Pali 'v' lies somewhere between an English
'v' and an English 'w'. I took a look at an IPA chart (rev. 1979) and
it seems to me that the 'labiodental approximant' [italic v] might be
a close match for the Pali 'v'. There is no equivalent in English
where its 'v' is called a 'labiodental fricative' [v] while the
English 'w' is a 'labial velar approximant' [w]. The only labial velar
sound in Pali is 'o' (ka.n.tho.t.thaja).

When I said "it does not seem possible to pronounce a 'w' and a 'y' at
the same time", I meant with an English 'w'. If one tries to, it seems
necessary to insert an 'i' and there are some PED entries of words
beginning with viy- for vy-. I'm now beginning to think that the v/b
alternation may point to the similarity or confusion of these two
sounds in Pali. If the 'v' is pronounced more lightly and softly than
the English 'v', doesn't it sound/feel something like a Pali 'b'? The
only difference seems to be that the 'v' involves the teeth for a
slightly different sound.

I will read up on what Geiger has to say about v/b but unfortunately I
don't have much by Norman (just Vol. I of his Collected Papers). I see
that Lance has followed up with some good observations.

Best wishes,
Jim

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