Vṛddhi

In Pāṇini's Sanskrit grammar, vṛddhi (Sanskrit: वृद्धि, IPA: [ˈʋr̩d̪d̪ʱɪ], lit. 'growth',[1] from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰ- 'to grow'[2]) is a group of long vowels produced by ablaut (vowel gradation). For example:[3]

  • bhṛ-tá- भृत ภฺฤต "carried" (base form, nowadays called zero grade)
  • bhár-aṇa- भरण ภรณ "burden" (guṇa, full grade)
  • bhār-yá- भार्य ภารฺย "to be carried" (vṛddhi, lengthened grade)

In modern Indo-European linguistics it is used in Pāṇini's sense, but not restricted to Sanskrit but applicable to the Indo-European languages in general as well as to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language from which this feature was inherited:

  • *bʰr̥-[4] (zero grade of the reconstructed verb meaning "to carry")[5]
  • *bʰer- (full grade)
  • *bʰēr- (vṛddhi, lengthened grade)

Vṛddhi-derivations

A vṛddhi-derivation or vṛddhi-derivative is a word that is derived by such lengthening, a type of formation very common in Sanskrit, but also attested in other languages. Such derivatives signify "of, belonging to, descended from". An example:[6]

  • PIE *swéḱuro- "father-in-law" (Vedic Sanskrit śváśura- श्वशुर ศฺวศุร; Pali: สสุร sasura) → *swēḱuró- "relating to one's father-in-law" (Vedic śvāśura- "relating to one's father-in-law", Old High German swāgur "brother-in-law")

Derivatives that are formed by inserting a full grade (as opposed to a lengthened grade) vowel into the "wrong" position of a zero grade are also called vṛddhi-derivations:[6]

Notes
  1. in Sanskrit, a -tí-nomen actionis formed from the verbal root vṛdh-/vardh- 'to grow'
  2. *werdʰ- 'to grow' entry at Indo-European etymological database of The Tower of Babel project
  3. Meier-Brügger, Fritz & Mayrhofer (2003, L 413)
  4. The asterisk * indicates that a form is not directly attested, but has been reconstructed on the basis of other linguistic material.
  5. Rix (2001:76f)
  6. Fortson (2004:116f)

References
  • Fortson, Benjamin W., IV (2004). Indo-European Language and Culture. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-4051-0316-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Meier-Brügger, Michael; Fritz, Matthias; Mayrhofer, Manfred (2003). Indo-European Linguistics. Berlin; New York: Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-017433-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Rix, H (2001). Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben (2 ed.). ISBN 3-89500-219-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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