Development of r-Clusters in Shorter Texts of Middle-Stage Gandhari

This study examines the development of r-clusters and syllabic r̊ , the retroflexion of dental stops following r, and some instances of “intrusive r” in six shorter texts of middle-stage Gandhari, as a supplement to Suzuki (2025), which scrutinizes longer texts of early- and middle-stage Gandhari. The texts included in this study are found to be similar to the Khotan Dharmapada of the middle stage in that stop+r is mostly preserved as opposed to non-stop+r and that, in contrast, the development of rC is heterogeneous, depending on the consonant that follows r, with a shared tendency for r to be preserved in original dur, ry, rv, and rh. The examined texts show varying degrees of retroflexion of dental stops by preceding r. The article also illustrates long-distance metathesis and the apparently idiosyncratic development of r in pre- and postconsonantal positions in pursuit of the interpretation that the seemingly inexplicable orthographic change reflects sound change.