How to improve my Sanskrit speaking skills at home?
Sanskrit is a classical language of South Asia belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. There is a large corpus of literature in Sanskrit covering a wide range of subjects. The earliest compositions are the Vedic texts. There are also major works of drama and poetry, although the exact dates of many of these works and their creators have not been definitively established. Sanskrit is not restricted to Hindu compositions. It has also been used by Jaina and Buddhist scholars, the latter primarily Mahāyāna Buddhists. Further, Sanskrit is recognized in the constitution of India as both a classical language and an official language and continues to be used in scholarly, literary, and technical media, as well as in periodicals, radio, television, and film.
Most learners of the Sanskrit language have the desire to be proficient or even just learn how to read and write it. But Sanskrit isn’t “that easy” to learn, especially if you don’t have the ideal resources for learning. There are various books or courses which cost time and money, not to mention, you’ll be required to do a lot of homework. This traditional method of learning, similar to modern universities, will feel like pressure pushing down on you while you are trying to learn.
In this blog, we’ll discuss some ways through which you can improve your Sanskrit speaking skills at home:
- Pronounce long vowels exactly twice as long as short vowels – Each of the short vowels can be made longer by drawing out the pronunciation. The sound of long vowels and short vowels also differs, much like long and short vowels in English. A long vowel is indicated by a macron, a long bar over the letter. The fundamental vowels are classified as “weak” vowels in Sanskrit. When you combine two weak vowels together, you get a strong or medium vowel. Strong and medium vowels are pronounced twice as long as short vowels, or the same length of time as long vowels.
- 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. 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. Hard palate consonants in Sanskrit are sounds that don’t appear in English. To make these sounds, you’ll press the middle of your tongue up against the roof of your mouth briefly. If you’re placing your tongue correctly, you’ll make the sound correctly.
- 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. When speaking to people in Sanskrit, particularly people older than you or in positions of authority, use shreeman to address men and maanye to address women.
Finally,
Success in learning a new language comes when you try. Following this technique will make learning your new language easier and more fun. By placing yourself in situations where you are forced to use your learned language, you’re bound to learn faster.
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