First Steps Towards Sanskrit: Language, Linguistics and Culture is an accessible first introduction to this ancient Indian language. Complete beginners are introduced to the language from scratch. Key terms are explained clearly and there is an extensive glossary to assist the reader who is unfamiliar with the terminology of language learning. By the end of the book, learners will have grasped the basics of the language and be prepared to engage readily in an introductory college or university course or through private study. The addition of cultural, linguistic and historical notes will appeal to learners with diverse interests, ranging from religious studies and philosophy to yoga and comparative or historical linguistics. The book includes references to classical and modern European languages. Parallels are also drawn with Indic languages where these are relevant, particularly as concerns the writing system. No knowledge of any language other than English is, however, presupposed. This book is ideal for both self-study and in-class use as a primer or core text for pre-sessional courses.

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

In the past, discussions of absolute constructions (ACs) have been limited by an imprecise understanding of what ACs are. By examining the nature and function of ACs and related constructions in Greek, Latin and Sanskrit, this new study arrives at a clear and simple definition of ACs. Focussing on the earliest attested material in each language, it highlights how AC usage differs between languages and offers explanations for these differences. Identifying the common core shared by all ACs, it suggests a starting-point and way by which they developed into Greek, Latin and Sanskrit. Further historical study reveals how ACs have been conceived of by grammarians, philologists and even Christian missionaries over the last two thousand years and how enduring misconceptions still affect our discussion of them today. All Sanskrit material is annotated in detail, making it accessible for classicists in particular and allowing a better understanding of ACs in Greek and Latin.

Computer Processing of Sanskrit Nominal Inflections: Methods and Implementation is the result of Research and Development (R&D) at the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) level at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. The title of the dissertation was “Machine Recognition and Morphological Analysis of Subanta-Padas.” The work, which is based on the reverse engineering implementation of Panini’s Sanskrit Grammar, brings together new and original studies in the area of computational linguistics, language technology and natural language processing with reference to parsing Sanskrit nominal inflections. On the surface level, Panini has defined rules in a forward looking generative fashion which makes reverse analysis necessary for parsing. Since parsing inflections is the first basic step towards complete analysis, the present work has relevance for any larger system that may evolve in future.