From usage to grammatical description

Abstract Two types of intensive formations are attested since Early Vedic: the thematic intensive with the suffix ‑ yá ‑ plus middle endings, and the athematic intensive. In Pāṇini’s grammar, both formations are described: several rules are dedicated to the intensive in ‑ yá ‑ ( yaṄ ), whereas the formations of the type várvarti are described as being formed by means of a LUK of yaṄ (by applying a luk -zero-replacement of ‑ yá ‑; that is, the substitution with ∅ (an elision) of the suffix ‑ yá ‑). This paper explores thematic intensives in ‑ yá ‑ through a quantitative analysis of their increased attestation in the Brāhmaṇa s. Moreover, in some Vedic prose passages, later authors gloss athematic intensives found in the R̥gveda with the corresponding form in ‑ yá ‑, suggesting that the latter was perceived as the standard intensive form. The state of affairs in the Brāhmaṇa s appears to be reflected in Sanskrit grammatical descriptions. I will show how the intensive category became the object of grammatical treatment by analysing passages from the Brāhmaṇa s, Yāska’s Nirukta and, finally, Indian grammars such as the Aṣṭādhyāyī and its commentaries.