INDOLOGY FAQ

[Dominik Wujastyk]

Yield to temptation, please Gary :-)

I think the VaranAAsi pronouncers are just influenced by norms of English
word rhythm, and copying each other.

Dominik

On 15 February 2010 06:42, Gary Tubb <tubb at uchicago.edu> wrote:

> I am tempted to add, in the section on mispronunciations, an entry on
> "vaaraaNasii" (as the name of the city), with a note to the effect that, for
> the same reasons as given for "mahaabhaarata" and "raamaayaNa," the third
> syllable in this name is the least appropriate place to apply a stress
> accent.  But I have been struck over the years by the frequency with which
> many people I respect as experts on Banaras habitually lengthen and stress
> the vowel in the third syllable---so much so that I wonder whether they
> might be following some local tradition unknown to me, despite the official
> spelling of the name.  Are they?  Is there any good reason to make the third
> "a" vowel in "Varanasi" long?
>
> ---
> Gary Tubb, Professor and Chair
> Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations
> The University of Chicago
>
>
>
>
> Dominik Wujastyk wrote:
>
>> "Common misconceptions and misnomers"
>>
>> After a chat with my colleague Thomas Kintaert yesterday, I've added a
>> section to the FAQ with the above title.  The current subsections are:
>>
>>
>>   - 1 Wrong translations<
>> http://faq.indology.info/index.php/Common_misconceptions_and_misnomers#Wrong_translations
>> >
>>      - 1.1 ārtava<
>> http://faq.indology.info/index.php/Common_misconceptions_and_misnomers#.C4.81rtava
>> >
>>   - 2 False friends<
>> http://faq.indology.info/index.php/Common_misconceptions_and_misnomers#False_friends
>> >
>>   - 3 Common errors<
>> http://faq.indology.info/index.php/Common_misconceptions_and_misnomers#Common_errors
>> >
>>
>>      - 3.1 How to pronounce Mahābhārata and
>> Rāmāyana<
>> http://faq.indology.info/index.php/Common_misconceptions_and_misnomers#How_to_pronounce_Mah.C4.81bh.C4.81rata_and_R.C4.81m.C4.81yana
>> >
>>   - 4 Common confusions<
>> http://faq.indology.info/index.php/Common_misconceptions_and_misnomers#Common_confusions
>> >
>>      - 4.1 Kālī and
>> Kali<
>> http://faq.indology.info/index.php/Common_misconceptions_and_misnomers#K.C4.81l.C4.AB_and_Kali
>> >
>>      - 4.2 Karma and
>> Kāma<
>> http://faq.indology.info/index.php/Common_misconceptions_and_misnomers#Karma_and_K.C4.81ma
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> But you can put what text or headings you like there.
>>
>> I thought this might encourage us to share our pet annoyances :-)
>>
>> Dominik
>>
>>
>