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 branch and Lahnda and Sindhi of North-Western group. Besides it has some shared innovations exclusively with Panjabi and its dialects. For example Gojri, Panjabi, Lahnda and Sindhi preserve short vowels attested by OIA and MIA stages and Gojri, Panjabi and Lahnda share the retention of the double consonants which have been simplified in Sindhi. Thus Gojri, Lahnda and Panjabi share this archaic feature. Another feature VNC(vl.)®VNC(vd.) i.e. a nasal followed by voiceless consonant becoming voiced is a shared innovation in Gojri, Panjabi, Lahnda, Sindhi and Western Pahari marks at some point the interaction of these languages. But Gojri and Panjabi share the development of tones independent of other languages (so far known and studied) mark a period of common development of these languages. The source of the tone development in these two speeches is yet to be finalized. Gojri shares the chnage of v to b with Eastern Rajasthani, Hindi, Western Pahari and other dialects. Gojri shares most of the phonological features with various geographically contiguous languages. But when morphological features are compared it shared many features with Rajashani dialects especially with Eastern Rajasthani. It cannot be just accidental or due to borrowing because Gojri now in spoken in an area quite distant from Rajasthan where Rajasthani languages are spoken. Thus the similarities of morphological features between Gojri and Rajasthani ascerntain that at some point in history the speakers of Gojri and Rajasthani must be together. Since Gojri still preserves some archaic features mark that it split from old Rajasthani before the new Rajasthani dialects emerged.

Tessitory13 demonstrates that double consonants of the Apabhraśa a are simplified in old western Rajasthani and the preceding vowel is generally lengthened mark the 14th and 15th century Rajasthani. It marks its split before this period. If we take the total features in view then we may place it between Panjabi and Rajasthani. Another fact is established by its morphological resemblance with Rajasthani that morphological features change slower than phonological ones. Ant the phonological change such as development of tones etc. have to be ascribed due to the contact with the neighboring dialects and may be treated as a case of convergence.

This grammar is based on the data collected from the places falling in Suran Valley area namely Kalai and Shindra (Tehsil Haveli), Hai and Lasana villages (Tehsil Mendhar) of Poonch district. The data were collected between July-September 1973 and April-June 1975.

13 Tessitory, L.P., ‘Notes on the Grammar of Old Western Rajasthani’ Indian Antiquary, 1914. 
 

 
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