Tadbhava
Encyclopedia
is one of three etymological classes defined by native grammarians of middle Indo-Aryan languages
. A "tadbhava" is a word which had been borrowed from Sanskrit, but which had changed to fit the phonology of the Prakrit
or Apabhramsa in question. Tadbhavas were distinguished from tatsama
words - a term applied to borrowed words which retained their Sanskrit form - and deśi words - a term applied to words which could not be traced back to Sanskrit. In the modern context, the terms tadbhava and tatsama are applied to Sanskrit loanwords not only in Indo-Aryan languages
, but also in Dravidian
, Munda
and other South Asian languages.
are descended from Old Indo-Aryan, tadbhavas in Indo-Aryan languages comprise what would be considered the native or inherited vocabulary. As a word descended through time from Old Indo-Aryan to Modern Indic, many phonetic, morphological, and semantic changes often occur. Modern Indo-Aryan languages have two classes of tadbhava words. The first covers words which have come to these languages from Old Indo-Aryan, through Prakrit and Apabhramsa. A second class of tadbhava words in modern Indo-Aryan languages covers words which have their origin in classical Sanskrit and which were originally borrowed into Prakrit or Apabhramsa as tatsamas but which, over the course of time, changed in form to fit the phonology of the recipient language. Words that were borrowed into a modern Indo-Aryan language itself as tatsamas, but which have since changed in form are often called ardha-tatsamas or semi-tatsamas by modern linguists.
Tadbhava, tatsama and semi-tatsama forms derived from the same Old Indo-Aryan root sometimes co-exist in modern Indo-Aryan languages. For example, the descendents of Sanskrit in modern Bengali
, which include a tatsama form and a semi-tatsama form in addition to the tadbhava form . Similarly, Sanskrit exists in modern Hindi
as a semi-tatsama and a tadbhava form (from Prakrit ) in addition to a pure tatsama form . In such cases, the use of tatsama forms in place of equivalent tadbhava forms is often seen by speakers of a language as a marker of a more chaste or literary form of the language as opposed to a more rustic or colloquial form. Often, however, a word exists only in one of the three possible forms, that is, only as a tadbhava, tatsama or semi-tatsama, or has different meanings in different forms. For example, the Sanskrit word exists in Hindi both as a tatsama word and as a tadbhava word. However, the tatsama word means "heart", as it does in Sanskrit, whereas the tadbhava word means "courage".
contain a proportion of tadbhava and tatsama words, possibly exceeding over half of the vocabulary of literary Kannada, Telugu
and Malayalam, with Tamil
being less Sanskritised.
Middle Indo-Aryan languages
The Middle Indo-Aryan languages are the early medieval dialects of the Indo-Aryan languages, the descendants of the Old Indo-Aryan dialects such as Vedic & Classical Sanskrit, and the predecessors of the late medieval languages such as Apabhramsha or Abahatta, which eventually evolved into the...
. A "tadbhava" is a word which had been borrowed from Sanskrit, but which had changed to fit the phonology of the Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
or Apabhramsa in question. Tadbhavas were distinguished from tatsama
Tatsama
Tatsama are Sanskrit loanwords in modern Indic languages like Bengali, Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Sinhala and Central Dravidian language Telugu. They belong to a higher and more erudite register than common words. That register can be compared to the use of words of Greek origin in English Tatsama...
words - a term applied to borrowed words which retained their Sanskrit form - and deśi words - a term applied to words which could not be traced back to Sanskrit. In the modern context, the terms tadbhava and tatsama are applied to Sanskrit loanwords not only in Indo-Aryan languages
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
, but also in Dravidian
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
, Munda
Munda languages
-Anderson :Gregory Anderson's 1999 proposal is as follows. Individual languages are highlighted in italics.*North Munda **Korku**Kherwarian***Santhali***Mundari*South Munda **Kharia–Juang***Juang***Kharia...
and other South Asian languages.
Tadbhavas in Indo-Aryan languages
As all Indo-Aryan languagesIndo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
are descended from Old Indo-Aryan, tadbhavas in Indo-Aryan languages comprise what would be considered the native or inherited vocabulary. As a word descended through time from Old Indo-Aryan to Modern Indic, many phonetic, morphological, and semantic changes often occur. Modern Indo-Aryan languages have two classes of tadbhava words. The first covers words which have come to these languages from Old Indo-Aryan, through Prakrit and Apabhramsa. A second class of tadbhava words in modern Indo-Aryan languages covers words which have their origin in classical Sanskrit and which were originally borrowed into Prakrit or Apabhramsa as tatsamas but which, over the course of time, changed in form to fit the phonology of the recipient language. Words that were borrowed into a modern Indo-Aryan language itself as tatsamas, but which have since changed in form are often called ardha-tatsamas or semi-tatsamas by modern linguists.
Tadbhava, tatsama and semi-tatsama forms derived from the same Old Indo-Aryan root sometimes co-exist in modern Indo-Aryan languages. For example, the descendents of Sanskrit in modern Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, which include a tatsama form and a semi-tatsama form in addition to the tadbhava form . Similarly, Sanskrit exists in modern Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
as a semi-tatsama and a tadbhava form (from Prakrit ) in addition to a pure tatsama form . In such cases, the use of tatsama forms in place of equivalent tadbhava forms is often seen by speakers of a language as a marker of a more chaste or literary form of the language as opposed to a more rustic or colloquial form. Often, however, a word exists only in one of the three possible forms, that is, only as a tadbhava, tatsama or semi-tatsama, or has different meanings in different forms. For example, the Sanskrit word exists in Hindi both as a tatsama word and as a tadbhava word. However, the tatsama word means "heart", as it does in Sanskrit, whereas the tadbhava word means "courage".
Tadbhavas in other South Asian languages
In the context of Dravidian and Munda languages, the terms "tatsama" and "tadbhava" are used to describe words which have been borrowed from Sanskrit either unmodified ("tatsama") or modified ("tadbhava"). Tadbhava as used in relation to these languages, therefore, corresponds more accurately with the categories of tatsama and semi-tatsama used in relation to the vocabulary of modern Indo-Aryan languages. All Dravidian languagesDravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
contain a proportion of tadbhava and tatsama words, possibly exceeding over half of the vocabulary of literary Kannada, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
and Malayalam, with Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
being less Sanskritised.