Thread by @Sampadananda

#LearnSamskritam
Welcome to the 7th session of learning Sanskrit through twitter chat. This session focuses on the Approximants or Semivowel sounds of the Sanskrit Alphabet. 7/1

The four sounds – य ya, र ra, ल la and व va – are the four approximants or semivowels in the Sanskrit Alphabet, placed immediately after the typical consonants. Very aptly in Sanskrit approximants are named as अन्तःस्थ antahstha which literally means ‘placed in between’. 7/2

In the articulation of approximants, the articulatory organs cause a narrowing of the vocal tract but leave enough space for air to flow without much audible turbulence. The contact between the articulatory organs is mild (īṣatspṛṣṭa). 7/3

As the approximants resemble vowels, so they are considered semivowels. Each of these sounds here has a corresponding vowel sound.

The sound य ya corresponds to the sound इ i. and is produced almost like इ i by the upper front of the tongue mildly touching the hard palate. 7/4

The semivowel र ra corresponds to ऋ ṛ and is produced by the tip of the tongue slightly touching the front roof of the mouth.

The corresponding vowel of ल la is लृ lṛ. This semivowel is produced by the tip of the tongue slightly touching the back of the upper teeth. 7/5

Finally, the sound व va stands for the vowel उ u. This sound is more of the nature of a fricative consonant which is produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing the lower lip against the upper teeth. It is a dento-labial sound. 7/6

Interesting to note that the approximants are intermidiate sounds between vowels, the pranic sounds (the spirit or consciousness) and the consonants, the body-sounds (matter). The density of expression in the case of semivowels is more than the vowels. 7/7

We learnt that from every vowel develops a semivowel. Once a student asked me - what happened to the semivowel of the vowel sound अ a? Was there a semivowel sound corresponding to अ a ? My answer was ‘yes, there was’. Let me explain. 7/8

Maharshi Panini in his माहेश्वरसूत्र māheśvarasūtra places the sound ह ha along with the other semivowels (ह य व र ल ha ya va ra la). From Panini’s technicality point of view it has a specific role. But I see a different purpose here. 7/9

I feel Panini was aware of the semivowel of ‘अ a’ which was lost by his time. The sound was somewhat close to the last sound ह ha, but different in pronunciation. This we see preserved in the English words like ‘hour’, ‘honor’ derived from Latin where ‘h’ is silent? 7/10

So semi-vowels can be arranged in the following manner:
अ a – ह ha, इ i - य ya, उ u - व va, ऋ ṛ - र ra, लृ lṛ -ल la
The five semivowels are connected with the five elements: ह ha – ether, य ya – air, व va – water, र ra – fire, and ल la – earth. 7/11

Argument in favor of why there is no semivowel for अ a: अ a being all pervading, has no मात्रा mātrā signs like the other vowels (ा, ि,ु) and no semivowel develops from it. Its presence is eternally there in all sounds. In fact all other sounds are its modifications. 7/12

This is all for this session. In the next session I will share some more fascinating ideas connected with the last group of sounds of the Sanskrit Alphabet. पुनर्दर्शनाय punardarśanāya.