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TOWARDS A LEXICON OF OLD GUJARĀTĪ
Ernest Bender Of the contributions of Jainism to Indian civilization and culture significant is its kathā-literature. This literature was composed over the centuries in several Indian languages, among them Old Gujarātī, interest in which has been produced in recent decades a number of studies. These studies have not only furthered Jain investigations, in general, but also provide information for a clearer understanding of the early stages of the Modern Indo-Aryan languages and Apabhramsa, as well. The number of researchers active in this field is few—and this is understandable in view of recent reports of activity in related fields. Nevertheless, it is imperative that interest in Old Gujarātī studies be sustained and encouraged.
I suggest that towards this and among the desiderata one of the top priorities be assigned to the compilation of a lexicon of Old Gujarātī.
The beginnings for this have been made. See, for example, the list of Old Gujarātī words in the Indexes to R. L. Turner's Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages compiled by Dorothy Rivers Turner, the glossaries of the publications in the Prācīn Gurjar Granthmālā of the Mahārā jā Sayājīrāv Viśvavidyalaya, Baroda, those of the series published by the Gujarāt Vidyasabhā, Ahmedabad, T. N. Dave's Study of the Gujarātī Language in the 16th Century, the Gurjararāsävalī by B. K. Thakore, M. D. Desai and M. C. Modi, and my edition of Rșivardhanasūri's Nalara yadavadantīcarita. 1. See, for example, R. N. Dandekar and A. M. Ghatage, Proceedings of
the Seminar in Prakrit Studies, June 23-27, 1969, Poona, 1970, and E. Bender's review in JAOS 91.4 (1971) pp. 565-6.
M.M.-12
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