Language and Script

Welcome! Ready to use through chapter 4!

THE LANGUAGE AND THE SCRIPT

The next three web pages are about the language of Sanskrit and the script in which it is usually associated called Devanagari. Sometimes people just call it "Nagari." It is easy to break down the name into two words, deva, which means "god," and nagar, which means snake. But whether that is the true etymology of the word is not known.

Here is the first of six videos, in which I discuss the Devanagari alphabet, as it is used in Sanskrit. As you will see, the origins of the language and of the system of writing are very different.

I need to make a comment that will only make sense to you after you have watched the video. Not everyone agrees with the picture as I've painted it. Specifically, some Indian scholars place Sanskrit much closer to the original IndoEuropean language and do not accept the connection between the Aramaic script and Brahmi writing. I'm giving you the conclusions that at this point in time still seems to be held as consensus, by most scholars, both inside and outside of India. However, I cannot guarantee that these derivations will be ever considered infallible or immutable.

Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions.