[INDOLOGY] Visualisation of Sanskrit Phonetics

[Madhav Deshpande]

Dear Jim,

     No. Pāṇini does not consider r̥ and r to be Savarṇas. The traditional
phonetic classifications cited by Bhaṭṭoji do consider these two to be
mūrdhanyas, but that is not sufficient to make them Savarṇas. Their
Prayatna "phonetic effort" also needs to be the same. Theoretically, all
vowels, other than short "a" are considered to be Vivr̥ta "open," namely
having an open gap between the point of articulation and the articulator
which is usually some portion of the tongue. The tradition includes r̥ in
the same category. At the same time, the actual articulation of r̥ is
explained by Patañjali to be a consonant r flanked by two vocalic elements,
something like ǝrǝ. However, phonologically, r̥ is treated as and acts as a
vowel, while r acts like a consonant.

Madhav


Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies
Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India

[Residence: Campbell, California, USA]


On Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 5:23 PM Jim Ryan <jim_ryan at comcast.net> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> In response to this “phonetical” thread, the question persists for me why
> vocalic ṛ and consonantal ra are considered “savarṇas” in the mūrdhanya
> series. (Siddhānta Kaumudī I.10.) Currently. In all the Sanskrit regional
> “dialects" I know of they are pronounced, in whole or part, as alveolars.
> Are we to presume that somehow these once were actually cerebals. Or… was
> Pāṇini wrong, here?
>
> Jim Ryan
>
> On Sep 26, 2021, at 11:36 AM, Madhav Deshpande via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Thanks, Harry, for sharing these articles. Best,
>
> Madhav
>
> Madhav M. Deshpande
> Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics
> University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
> Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies
> Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India
>
> [Residence: Campbell, California, USA]
>
>
> On Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 11:26 AM Harry Spier via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
>> Dear all,
>> There are two articles by SK Chatterji written 25 years apart titled "The
>> Pronounciation of Sanskrit" , same title, different articles.  I'm
>> attaching them for whoever is interested.
>> Harry Spier
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 1:28 PM Hock, Hans Henrich via INDOLOGY <
>> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear All,
>>>
>>> As I recall, the issue of how Sanskrit is pronounced in modern (i.e.
>>> early 20th-century) India is addressed in an article by Suniti Kumar
>>> Chatterji –
>>>
>>> Chatterji, Suniti Kumar. The pronunciation of Sanskrit. *Indian
>>> Linguistics*, (1961) vol. 21, pp. 61-82. Originally: *K. B. Pathak
>>> commemoration volume*, 330-349. Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute,
>>> 1934.
>>> For the ancient period, there are the Prātiśākhyas of course (the source
>>> for Allen’s and Verma’s publications; Vidhata Mishra largely repeats
>>> Verma). On the earliest recoverable pronunciation of syllabic *ṛ* as
>>> [ara] (with both [a]s a quarter mora), I have published a paper: Were ṛ and
>>> ḷ velar in early Sanskrit? *Vidyā-Vratin: Professor A. M. Ghatage
>>> felicitation **volume*, ed. by V. N. Jha, 69-94. (Sri Garib Dass
>>> Oriental Series, 160.) Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1992
>>>
>>> To teach retroflex to American students I ask them to pronounce their
>>> *r* and, while they are doing so, press the tongue hard against the
>>> roof of the mouth, which produces a retroflex stop *ṭ* that is quite
>>> distinct from their *t* sound.
>>>
>>> In general, I have found it useful to adopt one of the regional variants
>>> of modern Indian pronounciations (I use the northern one with *ri* for
>>> *ṛ* and *gy* for *jñ* (while properly warning the students that these
>>> are modern pronunciations). By becoming familiar with this way of
>>> pronouncing Sanskrit students will find it easier to follow Indian
>>> Sanskritists when they are speaking/pronouncing Sanskrit. I also urge
>>> students to keep their aspirates and nonaspirates and their dentals and
>>> retroflexes as distinct as possible, telling them that when I was beginning
>>> to study Sanskrit I sometimes spent fruitless hours locating something in
>>> the dictionary because of looking up under the “wrong *t*”.
>>>
>>> I hope some of you will find these remarks interesting.
>>>
>>> All the best – stay safe,
>>>
>>> Hans Henrich
>>>
>>>
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