In a recent article (1), the following appeared:

“Sit in front of a `sanganaka yantram' (computer) and write a `gana patram' (email) to your friend by deftly moving your fingers on `keelapalaka' (keyboard). Don't forget to click with a `moushika' (mouse) on the `antarjaala' (internet).” (1)

“Confused? Well, drive away your language blues, as these are some of the new words in Sanskrit jargon developed by Tirupati-based Rastriya Sanskrit Vidya Peeth (RSVP) for computer buffs and net freaks. Sources said RSVP is turning a new leaf to make the best use of the ancient language (from the time of palm leaves) by tuning it to the demands of cyber age.” (1)

It seems the above approach to bring the Sanskrit language up to date, by coining new words in Sanskrit for already existing words in other languages, may not be the right thing to do. Basically, why not use the original words as they are (email, keyboard, mouse etc. in English) instead of creating new words for them in Sanskrit?

Majority of the Sanskrit users are already familiar with these new terms (email, Internet etc.) and even using them in their regular communications in English. There is no need to coin new words making the learning and use of Sanskrit unnecessarily complex and difficult for newcomers and previous users, and it is also of no particular benefit to the language (Sanskrit) itself. Needless to say, RSVP (Rastriya Sanskrit Vidya Peeth) should instead accept the terms (words and phrases) from other languages and use them as such under the Sanskrit syntax and grammar.

Thus without inventing a new word in Sanskrit to represent an idea, a word or a phrase from another language for which there were no equivalents in Sanskrit previously, people should just choose the word or phrase from another language and use it directly in their Sanskrit communications. Note, Sanskrit’s features (grammar, phonetics and alphabets etc.) are complete and powerful enough to handle any outside word or phrase without causing any type of confusion or difficulty.

In any case, the foreign words can be easily used in Sanskrit without coining new words and phrases to represent them. The following demonstrates the use of a common English word (telephone or phone) in its noun and verb formations in Sanskrit.

(A) 8 case formations for (tele)phone as the neuter noun (‘akaarant’ or ‘n’ ending as in ‘jnaana’ or ‘gyaan’)

(case #) singular , dual , plural

(1) phonam , phone , phonani

(2) phonam , phone , phonani

(3) phonen , phonabhyam , phonaih

(4) phonaya , phonabhyam , phonebhyah

(5) phonat , phonabhyam , phonebhyah

(6) phonasya , phonayoh , phonanam

(7) phone , phonayoh , phonesu

(8) he phona! , he phone! , he phonani!

Note: In the above case formations, ‘a’ at the end of a word represents the sound as in ‘intra’; and ‘e’ at the end of a word represents sound as that corresponding to ‘e’ in intellect.

(B) Phone as a verb (to telephone) -- in the present-tense

(person) singular , dual , plural

(3rd) phonati , phonatah , phonanti

(2nd) phonasi , phonathah , phonatha

(1st) phonaami , phonaavah , phonaamah

Notes:

(1) in the above verb formations, single a (e.g. in phonati) represents short 'a' sound (e.g. in coral); and double a (aa, as in phonaami) represents the long 'a' sound as in intra.

(2) Other tense formations (past and future etc.) for phone can be constructed in the similar way.

(C) Examples of use of 'phone' as noun and verb in Sanskrit:

(noun form) I use the telephone …. Aham phonam upavujaami (or upayogayaami)

(verb form) I telephone … Aham phonaami ...................

References

(1) ‘Sanskrit and sanganaka yantram’, The Times of India, December 11, 2008, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Hyderabad/Sanskrit_and_sanganaka_yantram/rssarticleshow/3820570.cms
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By: Dr. Subhash C. Sharma
Email: lamberdar@yahoo.com
Date: Dec. 12, 2008

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