examples of noun assemblingmmmmmmmmm ^ 1486

According to pANini grammar theory, every noun was assembled from smaller pieces according to a process described by the rules. The pieces are three --

(1) We always have a nounbase, like azva- or kukkuTa-,

(2) if the nounbase is feminine, we sometimes have GI or Ap added after the nounbase,

(3) and we always have a sup affix, like su or jas or am.

Examples.

(A) In the sentence azvas tarati nadIm "horse crosses river", the word azvas is a noun, and it was assembled by joining azva- (a nounbase) and su (a sup affix) --

azva- + su → azvas

(B) When a chicken crosses the river, ordinarily the same rules apply --

kukkuTa- + su → kukkuTas

But if the chicken is female, then rule jAtera tells us that the nounbase gets GI added --

kukkuTa- @f + su →jAtera kukkuTa + GI + s

Then rule yasyetica says that a disappears before GI --

kukkuTa + GI + s →yasyetica kukkuTI + s

And rule halGyA says that su dissappears after GI --

kukkuTI + s →halGyA kukkuTI

So we say

kukkuTI tarati nadIm

(C) When many hens cross the river, rule bahuSuba tells us that instead of adding su we must add jas. So we start at --

kukkuTa @f + jas

the jAtera and yasyetica work like earlier --

kukkuTa @f + jas →jAtera kukkuTa+ I + as →yasyetica kukkuT + I + as

Now halGyA does not work because that rule erases su only. But here rule ikoyaNaci does work because the I is before a vowel, so we get --

kukkuT + I + as → kukkuTyas "hens"

and we say

kukkuTyas taranti nadIm "hens cross river"

kimarthaGM kukkuTyas taranti mArgam "why do the hens cross the road?"

(D) The nounbase yogin- means "a yogi" and ends in n. When we add jas after it, no special rules apply --

yogin- + jas → yoginas " many yogis"

But if the yogis are female, then rule RnnebhyoGIp tells us that we have to add GI --

yogin- @f + jas → yogin + GI + jas

And of course having I before a makes ikoyaNaci work --

yogin- + GI + as → yoginyas " many yogi ladies"

Now you can see that this soup of rules is a minefield. If I ask you to join this nounbase and that affix, chances are that you cannot do it correctly because there are rules that you do not know yet. However, a good teacher will never ask you to memorize all rules first and then ask you to apply them. You are not expected to do that. Instead, you are supposed to first learn how to assemble some of the simpler nouns, like kukkuTyas --

kukkuTa @f + jas →jAtera kukkuTa+ I + as →yasyetica kukkuT + I + as →ikoyaNaci kukkuTyas

And then you learn more examples of the jAtera and ikoyaNaci rules and apply them to other words.