Wednesday, January 21, 2015

List of core words in English and Latin derived from Sanskrit

The World’s Oldest Known Literary work - the Vedas – the root source of the Indian and Hindu Philosophy and Spirituality – are written in Sanskrit.
“The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar, than could not possibly have been produced by accident; so strong indeed, that no philologer could examine them all three, without believing them to have sprung from some common source which, perhaps, no longer exists; there is a similar reason, though not quite so forcible, for supposing that both the Gothick and the Celtick, though blended with a very different idiom, had the same origin with the Sanskrit; and the old Persian might be added to the same family”
So said Sir William Jones – the English Philologist who for the first time in 1786 suggested in his book “The Sanscrit Language” that Greek and Latin were related to Sanskrit and perhaps even Gothic, Celtic and Persian languages were related to Sanskrit.
It was this work which later gave birth to the so called Proto-Indo-European theory which instead of looking into Sanskrit being the root language of all Indo-European languages, suggests that all Indo-European languages including Sanskrit came from another so far unheard of language called PIE or Proto-Indo-European language.
Well, the irony is that till today there is no literature in the world about the so called PIE. There is no inscription found anywhere in the world written in the so called PIE. Nobody knows how the PIE was. Nobody knows who spoke it or in which part of the world was it spoken. No known ancient culture in the world talks about such a language being the root of the language they spoke. Simply put there is NO PROOF about the existence of this language. Just look at its name. It was a name GIVEN to it. A language if spoken will definitely contain words referring to everything that the people who spoke it could identify, yet here is a language which doesnt even have a name referring to itself!
So then what is the basis of having introduced this language in the language tree in the first place - a language which will remain invisible forever? Might be a guess, Max Muller used to guess a lot like this about the vedas, which he then retreated later.
Be it Greek Latin English Hindi Lithuanian – Sanskrit is the mother of all Languages. Even Scholars like Voltaire, Immanuel Kant etc believed that Sanskrit was the root of all Indo-European languages.
“I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges” said Voltaire. He believed that the “Dynasty of Brahmins taught the rest of the world”.
“Mankind together with all science must have originated on the roof of the world ie the Himalayas” declared Immanuel Kant.
About PIE – No idea, they are all linguistic experts who created this language, Oops, I mean its existence – for the language itself is not known yet. I am not an expert to speak on PIE, might be those who speak about it are experts in this language :)
All I do is present below a list of English words which are derived from Latin/Greek/Persian which are in turn derived from Sanskrit. Indians will be quick enough to recognize these words in their own language since most Indian languages have also originated from Sanskrit and even the other languages have a great deal of Sanskrit influence on them.
And here goes the list of English words derived from Sanskrit.
NOTE: Just to make it clear the below list does not contain Sanskrit words that have been directly borrowed into English in recent times like Karma, Avatar, Mantra, Guru, Cheetah, Pundit, Juggernaut, Nirvana, Lakh etc but lists only those English words which were derived from Sanskrit as English evolved by borrowing words from Greek/Latin etc.

Mainstream English words with Sanskrit Roots

Prati Shat (meaning for every hundred i.e percent)per centum (L)percent
Root Sanskrit WordMedian Word in Latin(L) / Greek(G) / Arabic(A)Derived English Word
Gau (meaning Cow)Bous (G)Cow
Matr (meaning Mother)Mater (L)Mother
Jan (meaning Generation)Genea (G)Gene
Aksha (meaning Axis)Axon (G)Axis
Navagatha (meaning Navigation)Navigationem (L)Navigation
Sarpa (meaning Snake)Serpentem (L)Serpent
Naas (means Nose)Nasus (L)Nose
Anamika (means Anonymous)Anonymos (G)Anonymous
Naama (means Name)Nomen (L)Name
Manu (means First Human)??Man/Men/Human
Ashta (meaning Eight)Octo (L)Eight
Barbara (meaning Foreign)Barbaria (L)Barbarian
Dhama (meaning House)Domus (L)Domicile
Danta (meaning Teeth)Dentis (L)Dental
Dwar (meaning Door)DoruDoor
Dasha (meaning Ten)Deca (G)Deca
Madhyam (meaning Medium)Medium (L)Medium
Kaal (meaning Time)Kalendae (L)Calendar
Kri (meaning To Do)Creatus (L)Create
Mishra (meaning Mix)Mixtus (L)Mix
Ma (meaning Me/My)Me (L)Me
Pithr (meaning Father)Pater (L)Father
Bhrathr (meaning Brother)Phrater (G)Brother
Loka (meaning Place)Locus (L)Locale
Maha (meaning Great)Magnus (L)Mega
Mala (meaning Dirt/Bad)Malus (L)Mal as in Malicious, Malnutrition, Malformed etc
Makshikaa (meaning Bee)Musca (L) (Meaning Fly)Mosquito
Mrta (meaning Dead)Mortis (L)Murder
Na (meaning No)NeNo
Nakta (meaning Night)Nocturnalis (L)Nocturnal
Paad (meaning Foot)Pedis (L)Ped as in Pedestrial, Pedal etc
Pancha (meaning Five)Pente (G)Penta, Five
Parah (meaning Remote)Pera (G)Far
Patha (meaning Path)Pathes (G)Path
Raja / Raya (meaning King)Regalis (L)Royal
Sama (meaning Similar)Similis (L)Similar
Sapta (meaning Seven)Septum (L)Seven
Sharkara (meaning Sugar)SuccarumSugar / Sucrose
Smi (meaning Smile)Smilen (L)Smile
SthaH (meaning Situated)Stare (L) (meaning To Stand)Stay
Svaad (meaning Tasty)Suavis (L)Sweet
Tha (meaning That)Talis (L)That
Tva (meaning Thee)DihThee
Vachas (meaning Speech)Vocem (L)Voice
Vahaami (meaning Carry)Vehere (meaning to Carry) (L)Vehicle
Vama / Vamati (meaning Vomit)Vomere (L)Vomit
Vastr (meaning Cloth)Vestire (L)Vest
Yauvana (meaning Youth)Juvenilis (L)Juvenile
Narangi (meaning Orange)NaranjOrange
Pippali (meaning Pepper)Piperi (G)Pepper
Chandana (meaning Sandalwood)Santalon (G)Sandalwood
Chandra (meaning Moon)Candela (L) (meaning light / torch)Candle
Chatur (meaning Four)Quartus (L)Quarter
Shunya (meaning Zero)Cipher (A)Zero
a (prefix meaning “not” ex: gochara – agochara)a (L)(G) (prefix meaning “not”)a (prefix meaning “not” ex: theiest-atheist
an (prefix meaning “not” ex: avashya – anavashya)un (L)(G) (prefix meaning “not”)un (prefix meaning “not” ex: do-undo
Arjuna (meaning Charm of Silver)Argentinum (L)Argentinum – Scientific Name of Silver
Nava (meaning New)Novus (L)Nova – New
Kafa (meaning Mucus)CoughenCough
Mithya (meaning Lie)Mythos (G)Myth
Thri (meaning Three)Treis (G)Three
Mush (meaning Mouse)Mus (L)Mouse
Maragadum (meaning Emerald)Smaragdus (L)Emerald
Ghritam (meaning Ghee)??Ghee
Srgalah (meaning Jackal)Shagal (Persian)Jackal
Nila (meaning Dark Blue)Nilak (Persian)Lilac
SrgalahShagal (Persian)Jackal
Man (Ma as in Malaysia) (meaning Mind)Mens (L)Mind
Upalah (meaning Precious Stone)Opalus (L)Opal
Vrihis (meaning Rice)Oriza (L)Rice
Upalah (meaning Precious Stone)Opalus (L)Opal
Barbar (meaning stammering)Barbaros (G)Barbarian
Jaanu (meaning knee)Genu (L)Knee
Sunu (meaning Son or Offspring)Sunu (German)Son
Ghas (meaning eat)Grasa (German)Grass
Samiti (meaning Committee)committere (L)Committee
Sama (meaning Same)Samaz (Proto Germanic)Same
Lubh (meaning Desire)Lubo (Latin and Proto Germanic)Love
Agni (meaning Fire)Ignis (L)Ignite
Hrt (meaning Heart)Herto (Proto Germanic)Heart
Yaana (meaning journey, wagon)Wagen (German)Van, Wagon
Nara (meaning Nerve)Nervus (L)Nerve, Nervous
They (th pronounced as in thunder, meaning they)Dei (Germanic)They
Pratiper (L)per
Prati Shat (meaning for every hundred, i.e percent)per centum (L)percent

Sanskrit science Lesson 3 – Sanskrit Alphabet and Devanagari Script

In sanskrit lesson-1 , we learnt that Sanskrit is unlike any other languages where inobjects do not have names, but only properties have names, and all objects are referred to using their properties. So in Sanskrit we can always create names for any new object that is invented or any new knowledge that is discovered.
In   sanskrit lesson -2  ,we learnt that the root of Sanskrit Grammar are 2012 words called Dhatu (Verb Roots), and not the Parts of Speech. All these Dhatus have different meanings assigned to them, and all words in Sanskrit are derived using these root words or Dhatus. We also saw in Lesson 2, how Sanskrit can be used in computer programming and how it is already being used. In future lessons we will see more on this subject.

In this third lesson we will learn about the science behind the alphabet structure of the Sanskrit language. But before that please be aware that throughout this series we will be comparing the features of Sanskrit language with that of English, as we have done in the first two lessons. The reason being, it will be more easy to explain as well as comprehend facts if they are compared to something which is already known. And since this Sanskrit learning series is written in English, we are comparing English with Sanskrit as and when required while explaining features. This is because we can safely assume that readers reading this series also know English.
Also, though we are introducing a Sanskrit script in this lesson, I will also try to make sure that you continue to learn Sanskrit even if you are unable to learn the script immediately. I will do this by continuing to present the language in English as well.
My suggestion to those (especially Indians) who think they are already familiar with the Sanskrit alphabet system (because of their existing knowledge of some other Indian language like Hindi, Bengali or Kannada) is that, I strongly recommend that you still go through this lesson. That is because in the middle of this lesson and at the end, we are presenting some very interesting facts about the alphabet system which is generally not taught in the regular schooling system.
Also, while this lesson might sound technical with many new words creeping in, make sure that you read and understand only that portion that is explained in simple English. There is no need to remember or memorize any new word, features, names that are mentioned in this lesson. This lesson is being provided with the sole intention of serving as a reference point to look back as we proceed further with other Sanskrit lessons in the future. So just read and understand whatever you can, ignore whatever you cannot. Of course, you can ask any specific questions in the comments section.
There is a video with audio at the end of the lesson where you can practically listen to each of the vowel, consonant etc in the Sanskrit alphabet system and learn how to pronounce them.

A brief History of Sanskrit Writing System and Scripts

We know that English does not have a script of its own and instead we use the Latin script to write English.  The English alphabet has its roots in Latin script and has 26 letters from A to Z of which A,E,I,O,U are vowels and remaining consonants.
Sanskrit does not have a script of its own either. In the ancient times, all the Sanskrit texts were passed down orally through human memory from generations to generations. To make memorizing the texts easy, entire texts used to be composed in poetic form. Which is why you find most ancient Sanskrit texts written in the form of poetry. The reason for passing down the texts orally without writing them down was to make sure that the texts are preserved at any cost, and also to ensure that the Sanskrit pronunciations are not forgotten or mispronounced over time. Books written down get lost, human memory does not, especially when it is passed down through generations of thousands of students learning these texts.
This is the very reason why while most of the books written just a few centuries back have been lost, the Sanskrit texts like vedas and upanishads have been preserved in their exact original format even after so many thousand years!

Devanagari Script and its features

Writing down of Sanskrit started somewhere around the time of the Mauryan Empire where the Brahmi script was used to write down Sanskrit text for administrative purposes and for new literature created in Sanskrit. Even today Sanskrit is written down using a variety of regional scripts like Devanagari, Kannada, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Thai, Gurmukhi, Telugu, Tibetan and so on. However, Devanagari script has been accepted as the standard script in writing down Sanskrit texts, even though Sanskrit texts also continue to be written in various other regional scripts listed above.
So for the sake of convenience, we will restrict ourselves to using the Devanagari script in this series of Sanskrit lessons. Devanagari is a combination of the wordsDeva meaning divine and Naagari meaning urban or sophisticated. SoDevanagari means a divine sophisticated script.
Some of the notable features of the Devanagari script are:

Absence of case

There are no distinct uppercase or lower case letters in Devanagari. In fact, none of the Indian languages have distinct upper case or lower case letters. Letters are caseless.

Presence of horizontal top line

A distinct feature of the Devanagari script is the horizontal top line that runs on letters of the same word. Here is an example of writing the very wordDevanagari in this script. See the horizontal line running on its top.
देवनागरी

Absence of Spelling

There is no concept of spelling in Devanagari, nor in any Indian languages. You write what you speak. There is a separate letter for each syllable. So when you say Devanagari you write देवनागरी where
  • दे is a letter which sounds De
  •  sounds va
  • ना sounds naa
  • ग sounds ga and
  • री sounds rii.
There is no business of remembering spellings in Indian languages, no unnecessary complications. Also, all Indian scripts including Devanagari are written from left to right.

Science behind the Sanskrit Alphabet

The arrangement of letters in Sanskrit alphabet is called Varnamaala written asवर्णमाला which means Garland of Letters.
The pronunciation of the the Sanskrit alphabet is explained in a youtube video at the end of this lesson.
In English alphabet there is no logical reasoning in the arrangement of the letters. There is no reason why  D comes after C or why the vowels lie scattered around in the alphabet. In Sanskrit on the other hand, the vowels and consonants are categorized separately and again these categories are arranged in a specific order. This is also true for all Indian languages.
First come the vowels in the Sanskrit alphabet.

Sanskrit Vowels - Swara

अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ऋ ॠ ऌ ए ऐ ओ औ are the Sanskrit vowels. In Sanskrit,Swara is the popular term used for vowels.
The grouping logic of the Sanskrit alphabet is based on where and how the sound is produced inside the mouth. Of these अ इ उ ऋ ऌ  are short vowels, while the others are long vowels which take twice the time of short vowels to pronounce them.

Kantya (Guttural)

Guttural Sounds
The sound of the vowels  and   are produced at the throat, or near the back of the oral cavity. Hence they are called Kantya (कंट्य) vowels meaning, from the throat (Guttural).

Taalavya (Palatal)

The sound of the vowels  and   are produced by the tongue touching the roof of the mouth (Palate). Hence they are called Taalavya (तालव्य) vowels meaning, from the palate (Palatal).

Oshtya (Labial)

labials
The sound of the vowels  and   are produced using the lips. Hence they are called Oshtya (ओष्ठ्य) vowels meaning, from the lips (Labial).

Murdhanya (Retroflex or Cerebral)

The sound of the vowels   and   is produced by the tip of the tongue curling back against the roof of the mouth. Hence it is called Murdhanya (मूर्धन्य) vowel meaning, from the roof of the palate (Retroflex).

Dantya (Dental)

The sound of the vowel  are produced by the tongue touching the upper teeth. Hence they are called Dantya (दंत्य) vowels meaning, from the teeth (Dental).

Kantataalavya (Palato – Guttural)

The sound of the vowels  and   are produced near the throat by the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. Hence they are called KantaTaalavya (कंटतालव्य) vowels.

Kantoshtya (Labio-Guttural)

The sound of the vowels  and   are produced near the throat by the rounding of the lips. Hence they are called Kantoshtya (कंटोष्ठ्य) vowels.

Ornaments to the Vowels – Anuswara and Visarga

Apart from the vowels listed above there are two other letters अं and अः that are used to decorate the vowels.
अं is called Anusvara and अः is called the Visarga. These are neither consonants nor vowels, and are listed at the end of the vowels, usually as a part of the vowel group itself, but at the end.
The Anusvara is a nasal whose pronunciation depends on the preceding consonant which we will be discussing in detail in the future lessons. The name Anuswaara means after vowels and it appears in front of vowels.
The Visarga which means sending forth adds a softening short burst effect at the end.

Sanskrit Consonants

Next come the Sanskrit consonants. The first five rows of five each letters are very important in their arrangement and are also used in many formulations of interesting Sanskrit sentences that we will be discussing in our future lessons.
क ख ग घ ङ
च छ ज झ ञ
ट ठ ड ढ ण
त थ द ध न 
प फ ब भ म
Here again
  1. The first row क ख ग घ ङ  are guttural consonants
  2. The second row च छ ज झ ञ are palatal consonants
  3. The third row ट ठ ड ढ ण are retroflex consonants
  4. The fourth row त थ द ध न  are dental consonants and
  5. The fifth row प फ ब भ म are labial consonants
In each row, the second and fourth consonants are called mahaprana consonants meaning they are aspirated consonants where in a strong burst of air accompanies their pronunciation. Without this strong burst of air, they become the same as the first and third consonants respectively in these rows. The first and third consonants are called alpaprana consonants.
Similarly in each row the third and fourth consonants are similar to the first and second consonants respectively except that in the former the sound comes more deeper from the throat with the resonance of the vocal chords.
The fifth consonant in each line is a nasal. Which means to pronounce this consonant you just need to follow the same position of that row (like guttural or palatal) and make a nasal sound.

Semi Vowels

Semi Vowels are those alphabets which are the resultant of a transition from one short vowel  to the vowel .
य र ल व are the semi vowels in Sanskrit alphabet system. Let us look at the origins of these semi vowels.
  •  is the transition from   to  and is a palatal semi vowel.
  •  is the transition from   to  and is a refroflex semi vowel.
  •  is the transition from   to  and is a dental semi vowel.
  •  is the transition from   to  and is a labial semi vowel

Hissing Sounds

There are three hissing sounds in Sanskrit alphabet. They are श ष स
  •  is a palatal hissing sound.
  •  is a retroflex  hissing sound.
  •  is a dental hissing sound.

Aspirate

 is an aspirant that is pronounced  by expelling air from the throat (like a guttural) along with the vowel.

Pronunciation of Sanskrit Alphabet – Swara (Vowels) and Vyanjana (Consonants)

The complete set of Sanskrit Vowels, Consonants, Semi Vowels, Hissing Sounds and Aspirate is as follows.
अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ऋ ॠ ऌ ए ऐ ओ औ
अं अः
क ख ग घ ङ
च छ ज झ ञ
ट ठ ड ढ ण
त थ द ध न
प फ ब भ म
य र ल व
श ष स
In this below video you can learn about the pronunciation of the various Sanskrit letters. From the next lesson onward we will start talking in Sanskrit, beginning by learning very simple Sanskrit lessons.

Summary of Lesson 3

In this lesson we learnt that
  • Sanskrit has no script of its own and is written today in many Indian scripts like Devanagari, Kannada, Telugu, etc.
  • Devanagari is the most widely used script to write Sanskrit.
  • Indian language alphabets have no case.
  • Unlike English, there is no concept of spelling in Indian languages.
  • Sanskrit alphabet is arranged first into vowels, and then into Consonants.
  • Anuswara and Visarga come at the end of the vowels.
  • The arrangement of vowels and consonants is classified based on how and where the letters are pronounced in the mouth.
  • All Indian languages inherit these major features of Sanskrit alphabet system of classification of vowels and consonants.
  • From the next lesson, we will start leaning simple Sanskrit sentences and start conversing in Sanskrit.
source- jai gurudev