On the 15th October 1964 the Deccan College celebrates the centenary of its main Building, and curiously enough this period coincides with the Silver Jubilee of the Postgraduate and Research Institute with, as successor to the Deccan College, started functioning 17th August 1939 when member of the teaching faculty report on duty. When I suggested to members of our faculty the novel idea that the centenary should be celebrated by the publication of hundred monographs representing the research carried on under the auspices of the Deccan College in its several department they readily accepted the suggestion. These contributions are from present and past faculty members and research scholars of the Deccan College, giving a cross-section of the manifold research that it has sponsored during the past twentyfive years. From small beginnings in 193 the Deccan College has now grown into the a well developed and developing Research Institute become a national centre in so far as Linguistics, Archaeology and Ancient Indian History, and Anthropology and Sociology are concerned. Its international status is attested by the location of the Indian Institute of German Studies (jointly sponsored by Deccan College and the Goethe Institute of Munich), the American Institute in the campus of the Deccan College. The century of monographs not only symbolizes the centenary of the original and the silver jubilee of the Research Institute, but also the new spirit of critical enquiry and the promise of more to came.
This study of the phonemic and morphemic frequency of the Gujarati Language is a part of the project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, for ‘the evolution of a system of shorthand suited to the genius of Hindi Language in particular and other regional language in general.
The frequency counts present here, therefore, are oriented towards devising of a system of shorthand, but, it is that the findings presented here may be of use in the study of various other practical problem of language-learning, intelligence tests (those which are based on recognition and reproduction of lexical items), text-books with graded vocabularies, spelling reform and setting keyboard for a Gujarat Typewriter. Some suggestions for follow up work of this nature will be found in the Introduction (see especially p: xxvii).
The project was undertaken by me while I was employed with the Gujarat University and had the good fortune to work at the School of Languages, Gujarat University. Umashankar JOSHI, the Director of the School, took a lively interest in the project; thanks are due to him for his sympathetical cooperation. The work on the frequency analysis was commenced in December 1958. For the first thirty months, services of one research assistant were made available, and accordingly, one research assistant, Mr. J. J. DASHI, M.A., was appointed; thanks are due to him for his ungrudging cooperation and assistance. Thanks are due to Mr. D. G. VASHI, M.sc. (Bom.); M.sc. (London), Reader in Statistics, Gujarat University, for his guidance in the techniques of sampling. The Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, Poona, allowed used to continue the work on the sorting machine on their premises; I am grateful to them for their kind cooperation. I have never appealed in vain to the office school of Languages, Gujarat University; the office staff has ungrudgingly helped during various phases of the work; my thanks are due to them.
I am grateful to Dr. S. M. KATRE, director, Deccan College Postgraduate & Research Institute for including this study in the Centenary Series.
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