Dear Martin,

It's a very interesting question. Vernacular manuscripts from the Gangetic plain, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, from the late sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries, also exhibit inconsistencies in the use of graphemes like these (more so in the latter two regions). In those cases, I've wondered if it was due to itinerant scribes (known to work in the region) with little familiarity or investment in the texts, but in the end I don't think this sufficiently explains the phenomenon. I have not been able to discern any consistent orthographic logic in the instances that I have seen. Am curious to hear what others have to say.

Best,

Tyler

On Sun, Oct 22, 2017 at 10:15 PM, Martin Gansten via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Apologies for what is perhaps a very basic question:

I have always unreflectingly accepted the common distinction between northern ('Calcutta-style') and southern ('Bombay-style') Devanagari. Recently, though, I noticed that some manuscripts mix the two -- for instance, using a 'northern' ṇa but a 'southern' a, or even alternating between the two kinds of ṇa (in the same copyist's hand). Is there any special significance to this -- for example, particular regions and/or historical periods in which the two styles were less distinct? Or should it just be seen as a personal quirk of the scribe (perhaps an itinerant one)?

Thanks in advance for any light on this,
Martin Gansten

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