[INDOLOGY] Sanskrit and letters with nukta

[Christian Ferstl]

My goodness!

Will confusions like this one multiply in the internet, or who or what 
will correct AI-created content like this?

Christian Ferstl
University of Vienna

Am 04.02.2025 06:05, schrieb Harry Spier via INDOLOGY:
> 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
>>> 
>> 
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