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Some Important Shiksha Vedangas (study)

by Mala Laha | 2021 | 31,647 words

This page relates ‘Classification of Sanskrit Sound according to the places of articulation� of the study dealing with Shiksha Vedangas—a crucial component of Vedic literature focusing on phonetics and pronunciation in ancient texts. The researched texts include the Paniniya, Yajnavalkya and Naradi Shiksas, among others. The study also investigates historical phonological transformations between Sanskrit and Pali, exploring the evolution of sounds and pronunciation.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Part 3 - Classification of Sanskrit Sound according to the places of articulation

The ղ󲹰ī form of speech is spoken by men

तुरीयं वाचो मनुष्य� वदन्ति

ٳܰīⲹ�Գṣy vadanti

(ṻ岹 1.164.45

This form of sound is articulated with the help of vocal organs.

The vocal organs are divided into two kinds:�

a) �ٳԲ� or points of articulation which are fixed points or areas lying above the tongue and which are touched or approached in course of pronunciation.

b) �ṇa� or articulator which can be moved more or less freely and which touches or approaches the ٳԲ’s or points or articulation[1].

Including both �ٳԲ� and �첹ṇa� vocal organs are numbered as ten in total, according to ñⲹ Śṣ�

दशधा वर्ण� भवन्ति और�-कण्ठ्य-मूर्धन्यदन्त्योष्ठ्य-तालव्य-दन्तमूली�-जिह्वामूलीययमानुस्वारश्चेत�

岹ś ṇ� bhavanti aurasa-첹ṇṭⲹ-ū󲹲Բⲹ岹Գٲṣṭⲹ--岹Գٲūīⲹ-ᾱ峾ūīⲹⲹԳܲśپ

ikṣāsaṃgraha, p.32)

i. Aurasa varṇa (Chestal Consonant)

Among the ten points of articulation, the lungs or the chest is considered as the first organs of articulation. The lungs are treated as the place of articulation for �hv� and �hm�.

tatra dvāvaurasau hva hma iti� (Śikṣāsaṃgraha, p.33). But according to ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�, when “h� is followed by nasals or semi vowels, it is articulated in the lungs[2]. ii. ṇṭⲹ ղṇa (Velar or Guttural)�

ṇṭⲹ� is another important place of articulation. According to ñⲹ Śṣ�, �a�, “h� and

Ჹīⲹ� are called the velar series sounds.

ٰⲹ� kaṇṭhyā� a ā ā3 ityavarṇhakāravisarjanīyā iti� (Śikṣāsaṃgraha, p.33)

iii. Mūrdhanya ղṇa (Cerebral Consonant)

Cerebral consonants are pronounced at the top of the orifice of the mouth. In their pronunciation, the contact is made in the �ū󲹲� with the tip of the tongue rolled back or retroflexed. According to ñⲹ Śṣ�, the cerebral consonants are six in number[3].

iv. Tālavya ղṇa (Palatal Consonant)

Consonants of the palatal series are called �� (Palatal) and they are declared to be formed against the palate by the middle of the tongue. They seem to have been brought forward in the mouth from the guttural point, and they are made against the hard palate at a point not for from the cerebral, but with the upper flat surface of the tongue instead of its point. The palatal consonants are nine in number, according to ñⲹ Śṣ�[4].

v. Dantya ղṇa (Dental Consonant)

Sounds which produced at the teeth are called dental consonants. According to ñⲹ Śṣ� dental consonants are eight in number�

अष्ट� दन्त्याः �, �, ॡ३ इत� लृवर्ण�
तथदधनलकारसकारा इति।

aṣṭau dantyā� �, �, �3 iti lṛvar�
tathadadhanalakārasakārā iti|
 

(Śṣāsaṃgraha, p.33)

vi. Oṣṭhyā Varṇ� (labial Consonants)

A full occlusion of the breath channel may be effected by the closure of the lower lip against the upper lip. Usually this closure is made chiefly by contact of the median and inner surfaces of the two lips. As the lips are the place of origin of the labial letters, they are called of origin of the labial letters, they are also called labial. 

According to ñⲹ Śṣ�, the labial series consists of nine numbers.�

“न� औष्ठ्याः उऊऊ३
इतिउवर्णपफबभमवकारोपध्मानीया ओकारश्चेति�

nava auṣṭhyā� uūū3
itiuvarṇapaphababhamavakāropadhmānīyā okāraśceti|

(Śṣāsaṃgraha, p.33

vii. Dantamūlīya varṇa (The Root of the teeth)

Sound produced at the root of the teeth is called 岹Գٲūīⲹ varṇa. According to ñⲹ Śṣ� the 岹Գٲūīⲹ varṇa is one in number�

एक� दन्तमूलीयो रेफः�

eko dantamūlīyo repha�|

(Śṣāsaṃgraha, p.33)

viii. Jihvāmūlīyā ṇ� (The Roof of the tongue)

Speech sounds which are produced at the root of the tongue are called ᾱ峾ūī ṇ�

According to the ñⲹ Śṣ� the ᾱ峾ūī ṇās are seven in number�

सप्त जिह्वामूलीया� � � ऋ३ इत्यृवर्णः उपाध्मानी� � कखगघ� इति।

sapta ᾱ峾ūī� � � �3 ityṛvarṇa� upādhmānīya ka kakhagaghaṅa iti| 

(Śṣāsaṃgraha, p.33)

ix. Yama 

Literally Yama means “twin�. The Yamas were said to be particular nasal sound occurring in the plosive + nasal consonant position, due to partial nasal plosion of the plosive. The Yamas are four in number. 

According to ñⲹ Śṣ�

चत्वार� यमाः कु� खु� गु� घु� इति।

catvāro yamā� kum̐ khum̐ gum̐ ghum̐ iti|

(Śṣāsaṃgraha, p.33

The examples of these four kind of Yamas are presented by this Śṣ�

रुक्कमेत� प्रथमो ज्ञेयः सक्थ� इत्यपर� भवेत्। विद्या ज्ञाने तु तृतीयश्च जम� दद्ध्मश्चतुर्थकः�

rukkameti prathamo jñeya� sakthā ityaparo bhavet| jñāne tu tṛtīyaśca jam daddhmaścaturthakaḥ||

(ñⲹ Śṣ�, 93)

These are two stages in the articulation of Yamas. The first stage is the implosive stage of the plosive and the second stage, the air begins to pass through the nasal cavity while the contact for the articulation of the following nasal consonant happens to be formal.

The ñⲹ Śṣ� clearly says that the non–nasal 貹ś followed by nasals become their own Yamas and the Yamas are in conformity with the �貹ś�.

अपञ्चमैश्चैकपद� संयुक्तं पञ्चमाक्षरम्�
उत्पद्द्यत� यमस्तत्र सोऽङ्ग� पूर्वाकक्षरस्य हि�

apañcamaiścaikapade saṃyukta� pañcamākṣaram|
utpaddyate yamastatra so'ṅga� pūrvākakṣarasya hi||

(ñⲹ Śṣ�, 94)

The ñⲹ Śṣ� also prohibits the nasalization of hissing fricatives and states that when nasal consonants follow fricatives or semi-vowels, the Yamas leave them, just as the relatives of a dead man retire after leaving his corpse in the burial ground.

पञ्चमा� शषसैर्यक्त� अन्तस्थैर्वापि संयुताः।
यमास्तत्� निवर्त्तन्ते श्मशानादिव बान्धवाः�

pañcamā� śaṣasairyaktā antasthairvāpi saṃyutāḥ|
yamāstatra nivarttante śmaśānādiva bāndhavāḥ||

(Śṣāsaṃgraha, p-33)

x. Գܲ

It is a nasal sound lacking that closure of the organs which is required to make a nasal sound. There are some characteristics features of an �Գܲ

a) It cannot stand before a vowel; we always find it as a corresponding nasal consonant before a vowel.
b) It cannot stand before a pause.
c) It cannot stands before a plosive consonant.

According to the ñⲹ Śṣ�, “Գܲ� comes long after a short vowel, but short after a long vowel�

वर्ण� तु मात्रिके पूर्वे ह्यनुस्वार� द्विमात्रिकः�
द्विमात्रिके मात्रिकः स्यात् संयोगाद्यश्च यो भवेत्॥

varṇe tu mātrike pūrve hyanusvāro dviٰ첹�|
屹ٰ ٰ첹� syāt saṃyogādyaśca yo bhavet||

(ñⲹ Śṣ�,138)

अनुस्वारस्योपरिष्टात� संयोगो यत्र दृश्यते।
ह्रस्व� तं तु विजानीयात् संस्थामिति दर्शनम्॥

Գܲsyopariṣṭāt saṃyogo yatra dṛśyate|
hrasva� ta� tu vijānīyāt saṃsthāmiti darśanam||

(ñⲹ Śṣ�,140)

Now this Classification of speech sounds according to the place of articulation of ñⲹ Śṣ� and ṇiīⲹ Śṣ� is summarized in the table 10.

Group Letters Place of articulation
aurasā ṇ� ñⲹ Śṣ�-hva, hma (hv, hm)
ṇiīⲹ Śṣ� -hn ̀, hn ̃, h�, hn, hm, hy, hr, hl, hv
ura
(chest)
kaṇṭhyā ṇ� ñⲹ Śṣ�-a, h, visarga
ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�-a, h
첹ṇṭ
(Velar or Guttural)
mūrdhyanyā ṇ� ñⲹ Śṣ�-� ṭh � ḍh �,�
ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�-�,� ṭh � ḍh �,r,�
ū
(Cerebral)
tālavyā ṇ� ñⲹ Śṣ�-i,c ch j jh ñ,y,ś,e
ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�-i,c ch j jh ñ,y,ś
(Palatal)
dantyā ṇ� ñⲹ Śṣ�-�,t,th,d,dh,n,l,s
ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�-�,t,th,d,dh,n,l,s
danta
(Teeth)
auṣṭyā ṇ� ñⲹ Śṣ�-u,p,ph,b,bh,m,v,ܱ貹īⲹ,o
ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�-u,p,ph,b,bh,m
ṣṭ
(Palatal)
岹Գٲūīⲹ varṇa ñⲹ Śṣ�-repha 岹Գٲū
(Root of the teeth)
ᾱ峾ūīⲹ ṇ� ñⲹ Śṣ�-�,k,kh,g,gh,�
ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�-k,kh,g,gh,�
ᾱ峾ū
(Root of the tongue)
yamā ṇ� ñⲹ Śṣ�-kum̐ khum̐ gum̐ ghum̐
ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�-kum̐ khum̐ gum̐ ghum̐
Գܲṇ� ñⲹ Śṣ�-hrasva Գܲ, ī Գܲ
ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�-hrasva Գܲ, ī Գܲ


Table: 10 -Classification of speech sounds according to the place of articulation of ñⲹ-Śṣ� and ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

“svarāṇāṃ yatropasaṃhārastat ٳԲm yadupasaṃharati tat첹ṇam, anyeṣāṃ tu yatra sparśanam tatra ٳԲm, yena sparśayati tat 첹ṇam|� (Taittirīyapratiśākhya,2.31-34)

[2]:

ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�,16

[3]:

“ṣaṇū󲹲yā� ṭaṭhaḍaḍhaṇaṣ� iti|

[4]:

“nava tālavyā� iīī3 itīvarṇa� cachajajhañayaśā ekāraśceti|

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