The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit

This book uses modern pedagogical methods and tools that allow students to grasp straightforward original Sanskrit texts within weeks.

A. M. Ruppel (Author)

9781107459069, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 March 2017

436 pages, 113 tables
24.5 x 18.8 x 2 cm, 0.94 kg

'[The] clarity and simplicity of the explanations make the book very well suited for self-study …; well designed for use by students with no prior acquaintance with South Asia, or with other classical languages …' Lawrence McCrea, Cornell University

Ideal for courses in beginning Sanskrit or self-study, this textbook employs modern, tried-and-tested pedagogical methods and tools, but requires no prior knowledge of ancient languages or linguistics. Devan?gar? script is introduced over several chapters and used in parallel with transliteration for several chapters more, allowing students to progress in learning Sanskrit itself while still mastering the script. Students are exposed to annotated original texts in addition to practise sentences very early on, and structures and systems underlying the wealth of forms are clearly explained to facilitate memorisation. All grammar is covered in detail, with chapters dedicated to compounding and nominal derivation, and sections explaining relevant historical phenomena. The introduction also includes a variety of online resources that students may use to reinforce and expand their knowledge: flash cards; video tutorials for all chapters; and up-to-date links to writing, declension and conjugation exercises and online dictionaries, grammars, and textual databases.

Acknowledgements
Studying Sanskrit
List of abbreviations
Notes for the reader
1. Writing Sanskrit
2. The system of Sanskrit sounds
2a. Word stress: heavy and light syllables
3. Road maps: verbs
4. The present tense
5. Road map: nominals
6. a-stems
7. Vowel gradation and why we need to know about it
8. Absolutives, ta-participle and infinitives
introduction to internal sandhi
9. ?-stems
10. Prepositions and preverbs
11. Introduction to external sandhi I: consonant sandhi
12. Imperfect indicative and present potential
13. ?- and ?-stems
sandhi II: visarga sandhi
14. Compound nouns
15. Consonant stems I
16. Sandhi III: vowel sandhi
17. Noun formation
18. Athematic verbs I
19. Athematic verbs II
20. Introduction to pronouns
pronouns I
21. The future tense
middle and passive voice
22. More participles
pronouns II
23. Relative and correlative clauses
24. Consonant stems II
imperatives
25. Noun stems gradation
consonant stems III
26. i- and u-stems
27. The perfect tense I: regular perfect formation
28. The perfect tense II: irregular and unexpected forms
29. ?-stems, n-stems
the periphrastic future
30. Secondary middle endings I: thematic verbs
31. Secondary middle endings II: athematic verbs
32. Pronouns III: 1st- and 2nd-person pronouns
33. Desideratives and gerundives
34. The periphrastic perfect
ta-participles ending in -na
35. Perfect participles
more comparatives
36. Absolute constructions
pronouns IV
37. Numerals
38. Aorists
39. Pronouns V: asau/adas-
40. Some irregular nouns
Appendices: Appendix 1. Devan?gar? practice handouts
Appendix 2. Background
Appendix 3. Reference
Index.

Subject Areas: Oriental religions [HRKN], Buddhism [HRE], Asian history [HBJF], Language: history & general works [CBX]