SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The thesis is an attempt to explore and to explain the linguistic material available from an old Gujarati MS named Upadesamala-balavabodha (a prose commentary on the prakrta Jaina work named Upadeaamala) of the sixteenth century written at Cambay, Gujarat. It consists of three parts: Part I The Grammar, consisting of short chapters on the phonology of Vowels, Substantives, Adjectives, Pronouns, Numerals, Verbs, Participles, Post-positions and Indeclinable occurring in the MS. An attempt is made to explain the forms in the light of the old Indian and Middle Indian Languages, and some interesting developments of some of the Old Gujarati forms into the Modern Gujarati are noted. The last chapter is devoted to remarks on the Word-order in the sentences occurring in the MS. Part II The MS: The transliteration of the Gujarati part from the MS into the Roman script is given. Part III The Index: The Old Gujarati words and important Loan-words in the MS to-gether with the forms of the words occurring in the MS, with references to the MS, are given. An attempt is made to derive most of them.