Introduction:
Learning the language is one of the greatest achievements you can have. Through this language, it’s possible to learn a lot about our Indian culture and traditions, which have the potential to magnify the illuminance of your soul.Learning Sanskrit, in my opinion, and experience, is not always difficult; on the contrary, it can be simple and enjoyable. Of course, some people can struggle to learn a language that is not their native tongue. It all depends on a variety of factors such as individual learning capacity, age, and so on.
Tips and tricks to learn sanskrit:
1.Organize consonant sounds by their points of pronunciation:
If vowels are the sound of the breath, consonants represent a stoppage of breath. When you pronounce words in Sanskrit, you stop the breath at different parts of your mouth to form the consonant sounds
- There are 5 pronunciation points in Sanskrit, related to the part in your mouth where the air flow is stopped: the soft palate (at the very back of your mouth), the hard palate (at the top of your mouth), the hard bump behind your teeth on the roof of your mouth, your lips, and the base of your teeth.
- The Sanskrit alphabet is organized logically with the vowels first, followed by the consonants, which are grouped together according to their points of pronunciation.
- When naming a Sanskrit consonant, you simply add the vowel a to the end of it.
2. Use the base of your tongue for soft palate consonant:
To pronounce the soft palate consonants, stop the breath at the very back of your mouth by pressing the base of your tongue to the back of your mouth or the top of your throat.
- ka sounds similar to the k in the English word “skill.”
- ga sounds similar to the g in the English word “great.”
- ṅa sounds similar to the ng sound in the English word “lung.
3. Create an extra puff of air for aspirated consonants:
Unlike in English, aspirated consonants in Sanskrit are considered separate letters from their non-aspirated cousins. To understand the difference, say the word “log” and then say “log home.” That extra puff of air produced to pronounce the h in “home” is an example of aspiration. You can also compare the difference between the p sound in “pit” and in the word “spit.”
- There are 2 soft palate aspirated consonants: kha and gha. These produce a sound similar to the related non-aspirated consonants, just remember that extra puff of air.
- There are 2 hard palate aspirated consonants: cha and jha. Remember that the h following the first consonant is simply an indication to aspirate – this isn’t a blended consonant.
- There are 2 retroflex aspirated consonants: ṭha and ḍha.
- There are 2 tooth aspirated consonants: tha and dha.
4. Understand the use of ha in Sanskrit:
The letter h in Sanskrit is simply a voiced breath. As you exhale, add an ahh sound. There is no hard h as in English, such as in the words “harsh” or “hello.”
- The letter h next to another consonant means you should aspirate. It is not a consonant blend, like you might see in English with words such as “when” and “where.”
5. Address people politely as “sir” or “madam.”
When speaking to people in Sanskrit, particularly people older than you or in positions of authority, use shreeman to address men and many to address women.
- Combine these forms of address with polite words for “please” or “excuse me” to get someone’s attention or ask them a question.
6. Greet others politely by saying namaste.
Sanskrit is considered a sacred language, and this is reflected in the way people use the language to communicate to each other. Namaste is used both when greeting someone and when departing from their presence, and at any time of day.
- The word namaste literally translates to “the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you.” It may be accompanied by an actual physical bow or nod of the head.
The above-given tips are the best resource for learning any language is speaking and listening to the language as much as possible.
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