Contents

 

Nomenclature

General Rules

Capitals:

Group of sounds or abbreviations (se symbols below and Phonology: Overview.)

Lower case, bold
(main text):

Actual sounds (parts of the alphabet)

Lower case, expanded
(in main text):

Emphasis

Lower case

(in paradigms):

Actual sounds (parts of the alphabet), bold used for emphasis

YX

X which have the property Y;

e.g. KE = consonant ending, for 1K and 2K though, see below (Root description)

X/Y

X and Y (position unimportant)

(X, Y)

X and Y (position important)

X Y

X or Y (position often important)

X:Y

Y qualified by X

Y:X

X qualified by Y

[X]

X is optional

{X}

Usually/often ... X

¬X

Not X

 

All symbols as used in English are to be seen as indeclinables and therefore are not declined with plural s etc.

 

CS

Classical sanskrit as described by Pāṇini et. al.

>

Always becomes

<

Derivesfrom

Usually often sometimes etc. becomes

*

Denotes theoretical form that is not part of or found in the language

[H]t

t th

_

Hiatus (seldom used)

Verbal root in the syntax section: verb.

The empty set

G

Guṇa of a vowel (se table at Phonology: Overview)

V

vṛddhi of a vowel (se table Phonology: Overview)

S

Stem

SS

Strong stem

WS

Weak stem

sg

Singular

du

Dual

pl

Plural

Px

Prefix

In

Infix

Su

Suffix

S

Stem

E

Ending

F

Form (a full word with a, Px, , S, In, Su and/or E as needed)

α

Simple monosyllabic

δ

Non-simple double

αF

Monosyllabic word

δK

Consonant cluster with 2 or more consonants

αK

Simple consonant

δA

Diphthong

αA

Simple vowel (i.e. all vowels except the diphthongs)

Sandhi

 

+ in the rules denotes where the contact between the phonems occurs.

 

[H]>[H] … means that if and only if the former phonem is aspirated then the latter phonem is also aspirated.

 

Index

How the row index is used is best showed by an example:

 

r + ¬OSi

>

Śi

¬OSi

(ES-37)

 

The row index (i) of the voiceless stop (¬OSi) governs which of the sibilants r will change into e.g.,

 

+

>

(i=3)

r + ph

>

ph

(i=5)

 

and so on.

Conjugation Symbols

1

First person

2

Second person

3

Third person

I, II, ... X

Classes of the verb (used for Ind, Imp, Opt & Impf)

P

Parasmaipāda (active Vo)

Ā

Ātmanepāda (middle Vo) in sandhi: long vowel

Strong(est) stem V

Middle stem G

(by itself)

Alternate root, i.e. G V

(no mark)

Weakest stem

(no mark)

W

Th

Thematic

ATh

Athematic

Vo

Voice

Ts

Tense

Mo

Mood

Pr

Present

Impf

Imperfect

Ind

Indicative

Imp

Imperative

Cnd

Conditional

Opt

Optative

Prec

Precative

Fu

Future

Ao

Aorist

Pf

Perfect

Ps

Passive

Pt

Participle

PP

Preteritial (or past) participle

PPP

Passive preteritial participle

APP

Active preteritial participle

Pv

Preverb

a

Augment

 

Root Description

A root () is built up of initial cluster of consonants (1K), a vowel (A) and a second cluster of consonants (2K):

 

= [1K] A[2K]

 

Examples:

drś ‘see’

1K=d

A=

2K = ś

i ‘go’

1K=

A=i

2K=

sthā ‘go’

1K=sth

A=ā

2K=

spand ‘quiver’

1K=sp

A=a

2K= nd

īkṣ ‘see’

1K=

A=ī

2K= kṣ

 

G

Guṇa of a vowel in a root

V

Vṛddhi of a vowel in a root

G

[1K] G[2K] (i.e a root in guṇa grade)

V

[1K] V[2K] (i.e. root in vṛddhi grade)

W

Weakest form of the root; = except when the take samprasāraṇa: e.g. vac have W = uc

S

Strong , can be either G or V

R

Reduplicated root; e.g. ca in perfect stem cakṛ of kṛ

RK

Consonant in the reduplicated root; e.g. c in perfect stem cakṛ of kṛ

RA

Vowel of the reduplicated root; e.g. a in perfect stem cakṛ of kṛ

A

A root ending with a vowel, i.e. = [1K] A

K

A root not ending with a vowel, i.e. = [1K] A 2K

Declension Symbols

N

Nominative

A

Accusative

I

Instrumental

D

Dative

Ab

Ablative

G

Genitive

L

Locative

V

Vocative

m

Masculine

n

Neutral

f

Feminine

AS

Vocalic stem

KS

Consonant stem

SS

Strong stem

MS

Middle stem

WS

Weak stem

PS

Pure stem

 

Stem Description

Substantives and adjectives (i.e. a noun) are built up of initial clusters of sounds (S-), the last vowel (A), an optional cluster of consonants (K) and the ending (E):

 

F = S- A [K] E

(1)

 

where,

 

S = S- A [K] is the stem

(2)

S- is the stem without its last vowel and/or consonants

(3)

A the last vowels of S

(4)

E the ending

(5)

 

If S = S- A the stem is vocalic and belongs to the vocalic declension (ADc)

If S = S- A K the stem is consonantal and belongs to the consonantal declension (KDc)