Rigvedic Sanskrit

This chapter provides a detailed account of the transitive noun and adjective categories attested in the earliest Indo-Aryan, Rigvedic Sanskrit. This period shows the greatest variety of noun and adjective categories which attest transitivity. Statistical analysis is provided to show that transitive nouns and adjectives are syntactically distinct from other types of noun and adjective that take dependents, and distinct from non-finite verb categories such as participles. In particular, there is a statistically significant correlation between transitivity and predication: transitive nouns and adjectives are statistically more likely to be predicated than other nouns and adjectives. Detailed statistics and examples of a series of different stem forms, and root nouns, are presented and examined in detail. Situation-oriented nouns are also considered.