Syntactic Position of the Preposition in Ardhamagadhi

Summary

The article studies the placement of prepositions (upasargas) in the Middle Indo-Aryan dialect of Ardhamāgadhī, especially in the Jain canonical literature. Unlike classical Sanskrit, where adverbial prepositions usually immediately precede the verb, Vedic Sanskrit shows flexibility, with prepositions sometimes separated from the verb or placed after it. The author notes that Ardhamāgadhī retains this Vedic freedom; in most cases the preposition precedes the verb, but there are numerous instances where it is separated or follows it. Examples from Jain texts demonstrate inversion and separation patterns, reflecting an archaic stage of the language. The article argues that later Prakrit authors, influenced by classical Sanskrit, tended to align prepositional syntax more closely with Sanskrit norms. By comparing Ardhamāgadhī usage with Vedic Sanskrit and other Prakrit dialects, the author shows the continuity of syntactic features and the gradual standardisation of preposition placement. The study contributes to the understanding of Middle Indo-Aryan linguistic history and supports the thesis that early Prakrits preserved features absent in classical Sanskrit.