[INDOLOGY] Sanskrit and letters with nukta

[Harry Spier]

Thank you Hans.  I just typed in "Does sanskrit have nukta"  and I think
the google AI reply below shows the dangers of AI.  It says things that
sound reasonable but are completely wrong.
Yes, Sanskrit does use "nukta" (also sometimes called "anusvara") which is
a small dot placed above a consonant to indicate a different
pronunciation; essentially acting as a diacritic to differentiate between
similar-looking consonants in the Devanagari script used to write Sanskrit.
Key points about nukta in Sanskrit:

   - *Function:*
   It is used to distinguish between similar-sounding consonants, like "ta"
   (त) and "tha" (थ) where the nukta above the "th" signifies a different
   pronunciation.
   - *Appearance:*
   In Devanagari, nukta is represented as a small dot placed above the
   consonant letter.

Harry Spier


On Mon, Feb 3, 2025 at 11:14 PM Hock, Hans Henrich <hhhock at illinois.edu>
wrote:

> Dear Harry,
>
> This looks like a transfer from Hindi. What would be comparable in RV,
> some other Vedic branches, and Pali is the character ळ, which seems to
> indicate a similar lenition as in Hindi ढ़ but with a different phonetic
> realization.
>
> I’m not aware of a nukta being used in Sanskrit
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Hans Henrich
>
>
> On Feb 3, 2025, at 20:47, Harry Spier via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear list members,
> I've noticed in some printed editions sanskrit *ढ* is sometimes printed
> with a nukta as *ढ़* . Any explanation. Is this just a case of regional
> pronounciation of the editor leaking into the sanskrit.
>
> As an aside when I typed "Nukta in sanskrit" into my google browser, its
> AI overview replied "The nukta is a character in sanskrit".
>
> Thanks,
> Harry Spier
>
> _______________________________________________
> INDOLOGY mailing list
> INDOLOGY at list.indology.info
>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology__;!!DZ3fjg!68HME0actetdAgGo7GgvydpVWWfcTX59pHwG2Cr1sg-fuvolQs7wEM9HF4iAzvDPY0o_-dqIzCnATKpWl2k0VisjauUv$
>
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://list.indology.info/pipermail/indology/attachments/20250204/3abaffad/attachment.htm>