Indo‑European 'kh' in Sanskrit and Avestan
By Muhammad Shahidullah
Summary
This linguistic note discusses the phonological development of the Indo‑European aspirated stop represented by ‘kh’ in Sanskrit and Avestan. The author reviews comparative evidence showing that Proto‑Indo‑European *kʱ yielded Sanskrit kh but underwent different treatment in Iranian: in Old Avestan it is often reflected as plain k or x, depending on phonetic environment. He cites examples such as Sanskrit khaga (‘bird’) and Avestan xaya (‘king’) to illustrate divergent reflexes. The note briefly mentions the influence of neighbouring Dravidian languages on the phonetic realisation of kh in certain Prakrits. By focusing on a single phoneme, the author demonstrates the value of comparative phonology for reconstructing sound changes and for understanding the relationship between Indo‑Aryan and Iranian branches of Indo‑European.
Conclusion
The note concludes that while Sanskrit preserves the aspirated ‘kh’ more consistently, Avestan exhibits both retention and simplification, underscoring the complex phonological history of Indo‑Iranian languages. Such micro‑comparisons enrich our understanding of linguistic evolution.