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@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@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

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