For centuries, until the consolidation of modern standard Hindi
after 1900, the Hindi dialect known as Braj Bhāsā enjoyed great
prestige as the vehicle of the Krsna cult literature of northern
India, as well as for the brilliance of its secular literature.
Most of this material was in verse, although since the beginning of
the last century we have had knowledge of the existence of texts in
Sanskritized Braj Bhāsā prose, chiefly sectarian chronicles and
commentaries, from a relatively early date. In this, the earliest
thorough analysis of a Braj Bhāsā text, Dr McGregor presents one of
the oldest known Braj Bhāsā prose texts: a Braj commentary on the
Sanskrit Nīti?ataka of Bhartrhari, originally composed about 1600.
His detailed examination of the morphology, phonology and syntax of
its language casts light on the types of language that underlie the
Braj Bhāsā used in verse literature, and provide a comparative
basis for further studies of the prose produced in Braj and in
other Hindi dialects before the nineteenth century.
目錄:
Preface
Abbreviations
Part I:
Introduction
1. Indrajit''s Nīti?ataka commentary
The text
Notes
Part II:
2. Phonology
3. Morphology and syntax
4. Further aspects of syntax
Summary: general features of Indrajit''s language
Appendices
Bibliography.