The Avestan Compounds (An Old and Rare book)

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This study of the Avestan Compounds is to be followed, within a short time, by a second work dealing with the formation of nouns and by a third on their inflection. Together they will represent the first morphology of the Avestan noun which is based on a recon- structed text, whilst the principle of this restoration has been well- known, thanks to Andreas, since more than twenty-five years. The doctrine of Bartholomae, shall receive improvements on numerous points which should suffice to justify this revision of his 'Grundriß'

On the other hand, if the compounds are opening the series of these studies, it is because Bartholomae's treatment thereof, are but partial, his book, on this chapter must not only be corrected but com- pleted as well in a large measure.

The idea of this work I owe to Mr. Benveniste who directed its execution with the combined resources of his divination and expertise. Moreover all the preparations necessary before even launching upon the investigation issue from his teaching at the Ecole-Pratique des Hantes Etudes de Paris. Prevented now a days from regularly attending due to the distance, however, in the course of my daily work I find myself lucky to have been able to follow the lectures of Mr. Benveniste for more than two years.

The teaching of the eminent director of Institute Oriental de l' Université de Liège Mr. A. Bricteux from which I was benefited each week, thanks to his immense experiences in Pehlevi and Persian has proved to be an indispensable complement to my equipment in the formation of an Iranist Messrs. L. Renou and J. Bloch, the adjudicating reporters on my memoire at the School of Higher Studies have communicated to me precious observations. I have had the opportunity of having a long discussion with Mr. J. Wackernagel at Båle, from which explanations on several points are obtained and during which I felt myself so much attracted to a man in whom the genius and the charm combine so happily.

The chief hereditary successors who, with their prerogatives handed down the Indo-European language have, naturally, attached themselves to a method of expression in which the abstract and synthetic character of their language have emphasised and through which the state of the culture and society which they intended to maintain are established in formulae Many a traditional Homeric epithet, such as μεγα' θυμος, many names of chiefs as Ευρυμεδων are, in this respect, the direct heirs of the Indo-European epoch. It can be said, that by and large, for each type of Greek compounds there is an equivalent type of Sanskrit compound νυχθη μερον is a dvandva, Σπτυόδαμος is an appositional or determinative compound with a verbal governing word as the second term, δεσπότης a tatpurusa, χαλκοχίτου a bahubrihi, φερε πονοos a compound with the first term as the governing word. The system of compounding which has undergone variations according to languages was, from the very beginning, constituted, at least, in its salient features, to such a point, that those languages which, precisely developed the method most, pushed it so far as to make a substitute for the whole syntax and had only to apply with prodigality readymade rules as though the resources and the possibilities of the Indo-European had been, ever since the common period entirely recognized. On a single point, decisively, it is true, for the extension of the usage, Sanskrit made a great innovation previous to the Vedic epoch. For instance, the compound rājaputráh it meant, in the early period "the king's son, the prince" from the time of the epics, it signifies, on the contrary, either "the prince" or "the son of the particular king of whom we are speaking", since that time it is ready to render the services which were assumed till that period by inflection and for syntax rājñah putrah. These latter could cede place to it without inconvenience and that is what has come about in epic and classical Sanskrit Between this type of Sanskrit and the Indo- European two stages have been crossed Indo-Iranian and Vedic Vedic, again, reflects so very well the ancient usages in spite of some notable differences that we can say that the Homeric epics and the Veda resemble like a brother and his sister.