Week 4: Sanskrit

Question 1

Sanskrit is divided in…

Answer 1

1. Vedic Sanskrit (oldest)
2. Classical Sanskrit

Question 2

Which form of Sanskrit is the oldest?

Answer 2

Vedic Sanskrit

Question 3

What are the sources for Sanskrit?

Answer 3

The Vedas (religious texts), which are important for Hinduism.

Question 4

How and when was Sanskrit transmitted?

Answer 4

Orally from 1200-1000 BCE.

Question 5

From which time were the Sanskrit manuscripts? And why were they not written down?

Answer 5

14th century BCE; they were not written down because they were sacred, but eventually still were written down.

Question 6

By who was Classical Sanskrit codified and when? What did he think of this grammar? What kind of grammar?

Answer 6

By Panini in the 4th century BCE. He realised this grammar was very important; it is condensed grammar but contains all the information.

Question 7

How was Classical Sanskrit transmitted?

Answer 7

Probably orally, maybe some texts were written down but not preserved.

Question 8

Why is Classical Sanskrit of secondary importance for the PIE reconstruction?

Answer 8

Because it’s derived from Vedic Sanskrit.

Question 9

How is Classical Sanskrit written nowadays?

Answer 9

It is written in Devanagari.

Question 10

What were the Vedas?

Answer 10

Sacred texts of Hinduism.

Question 11

‘Veda’ means…

Answer 11

Knowledge

Question 12

What are the most important Vedic texts?

Answer 12

1. Rigveda/Rgveda -> oldest, most used.
2. Atharvaveda.
3. Samaveda.
4. Yajurveda.

Question 13

Which is the oldest Vedic text?

Answer 13

Rigveda (after 1200 BCE), but there is evidence of a much later date. It was primarily written in Punjab (Pakistan/India), the oldest sections perhaps in Central Asia. The Vedic texts were probably composed here.

Question 14

Where were the Vedic texts probably composed?

Answer 14

Central Asia

Question 15

What are the indications of age and geography (Rigveda)?

Answer 15

1. Soma ‘holy drink’ plays a large role.
2. Soma is made from a plant in the Hindu Kush (mountains).
3. River names.
4. Iron does not occur -> can’t be later than 1000 BCE.

Question 16

Soma

Answer 16

Holy drink

Question 17

What kind of contents were in the Rigveda text?

Answer 17

Mostly hymns to the gods (Indra and Agni) and Soma; metrical hymns, comprised of verses.

Question 18

When were the other Vedas composed, so excluding Rigveda?

Answer 18

Around the end of the 2nd millennium BCE.

Question 19

What were the contents of the other Vedas?

Answer 19

1. Atharvaveda: hymns about magic and healing.
   
   2. Samaveda: ritual hymns.
   3. Yajurveda: sacrificial hymns.

Question 20

How do the Vedas compare?

Answer 20

There are parallels between formulas in the Vedas and in Greek/Old Irish/Old Norse.

Question 21

Two more texts in Vedic Sanskrit: time and contents?

Answer 21

First millennium BCE.
1. Brahmanas: about ritual texts.
2. Upanisads: about philosophical texts.

Question 22

PIE vowel development from Porto-Indo-European to Sanskrit

Answer 22

*e → a
*o → a: elsewhere
ā: in open syllable
*i → i
* ̯i (j) → y
*u → u
* ̯u (w) → v
*ei, *oi → e
*eu, ou → o

Diphthongs became monothongs

Question 23

How can PIE ablaut be recognised in Sanskrit?

Answer 23

a refers to e-grade
ā refers to o-grade
ø refers to ø-grade

Question 24

Some consonants in Sanskrit are called what? Which are those, and what does that mean?

Answer 24

The consonants {m l n r} are called resonants; which means that they could also be realised as vowels.

Question 25

Syllabic/vocalic

Answer 25

The resonants {m n l r}; can also be realised as vowels

Question 26

How do we show a sound is influenced by vocalism?

Answer 26

r ̥

Question 27

When is a PIE resonant vocalic?

Answer 27

Between two vowels, word-initially before a consonant and word-finally before a consonant.

Question 28

How can a resonant become vocalic?

Answer 28

Under the influence of ablaut

Question 29

How are r ̥ and l ̥ realised in Greek?

Answer 29

‘ra’ and ‘la’

Question 30

When are m ̥ and n ̥ realised as /a/?

Answer 30

It happens in both Sanskrit and Greek.

Question 31

What is remarkable about Sanskrit?

Answer 31

It preserved its consonants really well, orally transmitted

Question 32

Closed vs. open syllables

Answer 32

Closed: CVC
Open: CV, VC

CVCV is still open because it doesn’t completely close, the second C belongs to the other syllable.

Question 33

Brugmann’s Law

Answer 33

The lengthening of PIE *o in open syllables in Sanskrit

Question 34

Aspirated stops vs. Unaspirated stops

Answer 34

Aspirated: pin, tap, cat
Unaspirated: spin, stop, skate

Question 35

The script that is used most often to write Sanskrit is…

Answer 35

Devanāgarī script

Question 36

How can a word (in SKT for example) be constructed?

Answer 36

Root + suffix + ending
Stem

SKT: nābh-as
root suffix

Question 37

Sanskrit timeline

Answer 37

1. Oldest parts of Rigveda composed
2. Atharvaveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda composed
3. Grammarian writes sophisticated gramma for Sanskrit
4. Beginning of the Classical Sanskrit period
5. Pillars of Ashoka inscribed with a Prakrit text
6. Oldest preserved manuscripts of the Vedas
7. Manuscripts discovered in Orissa