Re: NATLANG/Learning : Sanskrit

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen Mulraney" <ataltanie@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 4:19 PM
Subject: Re: NATLANG/Learning : Sanskrit


> Jean-François Colson wrote:
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jean-François Colson" <bn130627@...>
> > To: <CONLANG@...>
> > Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 12:47 AM
> > Subject: Re: NATLANG/Learning : Sanskrit
> >
> >
> >
> >>If you're interested, there's a free online Sanskrit course there:
> >>http://acharya.iitm.ac.in/sanskrit/lessons/Devan/intro.html.
> >
> >
> > Err... That's rather a course about the Devanagari script. Nothing seems
> > available there about Sanskrit grammar and vocabulary.
>
> Interesting nonetheless.
> It's rather... involved, is it not? the script, that it. After working
though
> all the vowels and consonant-series, you're told that there are a few
thousand
> ligatures that are used too. If that many are needed, I'd judge the memory
> load of this script to be greater than the famed "5000 hanzi" needed for
> reading some level of Chinese. At least the hanzi are iconic.
I wouldn't say that.  It takes about a week to be able to read it(if
somewhat slowly), and a little longer to be able to write it.  I think the
rule of thumb for the ligatures is that generally the second letter in a
cluster goes underneath the first, attached to the vertical line.   If there
is no vertical line, the first will merely be placed to the left of the
second.  Except for clusters |jña| and |ks.a|, which have their own forms.
Oh, and |r| has two different forms in consonant clusters, as does |t|.

> s.
>
> --
> What men are poets who can speak of Jupiter if he  Stephen Mulraney
> were like a man, but if he is an immense spinning  w::ataltane.net|
> sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent?      |e::ataltane~~~
>    -- Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988)                |at ataltane.net
>
> >
> >
> >>Jean-François Colson
> >>jfcolson (a) belgacom.net
> >>
> >>
> >>----- Original Message -----
> >>From: "Stephen Mulraney" <ataltanie@...>
> >>To: <CONLANG@...>
> >>Sent: Monday, August 11, 2003 8:02 PM
> >>Subject: Re: NATLANG/Learning : Sanskrit
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>J Y S Czhang wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>In a message dated 2003:08:08 04:20:48 AM, Indiadivine@indiadivine.org
> >>
> >>writes:
> >>
> >>>>
> >>>>>Learn Sanskrit for Beginners: Simple and clear lessons for learning
> >>>>>sanskrit, beginning from the very basics of writing and
pronunciation,
> >>>>>up to complex grammar and comprehension. The complete CD for learning
> >>>>>sanskrit, for just $7.95.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>http://www.matchless-gifts.com/learnsanskrit.htm
> >>>
> >>> From what I've seen, the TY Sanskrit pictured on that page is a pretty
> >>
> >>good
> >>
> >>>text. My exposure to it is limited to glancing through in shops at
> >
> > various
> >
> >>>stages of my life and finding something interesting, like a brief
> >>
> >>disquisition
> >>
> >>>on PIE/Sanskrit "vowel grades" and whatnot. It looks good'n'nerdy.
> >>>
> >>>Of course, even if this is a CD version of that book, it may be no
good.
> >>>But it if has recordings of the text, then that in itself is quite an
> >>
> >>advantage,
> >>
> >>>no? (hey, never mind that no-one ever speaks Sanskirt. What's that got
> >
> > to
> >
> >>do
> >>
> >>>with anything, eh?)
> >>>
> >>>s.
> >>>
> >>>----
> >>>Stephen Mulraney... ataltane at ataltane.net... ataltane.net
> >>>If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because
> >>>he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears,
> >>>however measured or far away.                     ~Henry David Thoreau
> >>>
> >>
> >
> >
>

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