Sanskrit Pronunciation: Booklet and Audio [Audio Cassette]

Bruce Cameron Hall (Author), Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

Designed to help students pronounce Sanskrit words accurately, this booklet and 45-minute audio recording, read by the author, consists of four parts: (1) instructions for pronouncing Sanskrit letters and words, (2) over 160 Sanskrit terms from theosophical and Indian philosophical literature pronounced and defined, (3) a short pronunciation summary, and (4) sample verses from the Bhagavad-Gita in devanagari script, roman letters, and in English translation by the author.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bruce Cameron Hall studied Sanskrit at the University of Hawaii, in India, and at Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D. in Sanskrit and Indian Studies in 1983.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Theosophical Univ Pr; Booklet and Cassette edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557000212
• ISBN-13: 978-1557000217
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,095,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars elemental, July 7, 2006

By 

Costa Enzo Fernando "sinaruspica" (buenos aires argentina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sanskrit Pronunciation: Booklet and Audio (Audio Cassette)

The objective of this booklet with cassette is to provide the student with an elementary guide for the acceptable pronunciation of Sanskrit terms transliterated in Latin characters. As the author says: "...They should enable speakers of English to pronounce Sanskrit words so that they are recognizable to Indian Scholars..."
Consecuently, the reader will not find any phonetic introduction to the "devanagari" script. The aim looked for is merely that the student can pronounce Sanskrit words with some accuracy.. It is not tried to obtain a perfect intonation by one of the very few 50.000 hindus who still today affirm in official census to have Sanskrit as their first language. In fact, he who reads the selected words as an example is not a native professor, as you can notice when he commits some isolated slip in the emission of the "aspirated" consonants (bh, ph, gh, dh, etc.)
Briefly, this booklet with cassette will allow to pronounce Sanskrit words (if duly transliterated in Latin characters only), without feeling inhibited or ridiculous.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good introduction, especially for yoga and philosophy students, April 23, 2007

By 

Patrick D. Goonan "see profile for URL" (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sanskrit Pronunciation: Booklet and Audio (Audio Cassette)

This tape and booklet is a simple guide to achieving acceptable pronunciation of transliterated Sanskrit terms. This is all it claims to be and it achieves this end well with minimal effort on the part of the reader.

The booklet is well-organized and it contains many useful terms that are likely to appear in the study of Indian philosophy and religion. While there are some minor problems with pronunication as pointed out by the other reviewer above, this is a great start for most people.

Also, Bruce Cameron Hall has very good credentials. He studied Sanskrit at the University of Hawaii and also with Pandit Ambika Datta Upadhyaya in Banaras, India. He also did further study with Daniel Ingalls and Masatoshi Nagatomi of Harvard University, where he received his doctorate in Sanskrit and Indian Studies. In other words, while his pronunication might not be perfect, I think it's pretty reliable despite an occasional error.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars less is more, March 20, 2010

By 

Tav (Colorado) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Sanskrit Pronunciation: Booklet and Audio (Audio Cassette)

This is a short but beneficial tape for those who know nothing about Sanskrit, particularly those with interests in theosophical words. The tape is the same on both sides, I think about 45 minutes of teachings. It covers the very basics of pronunciation. Often the proper way in Sanskrit is not what is commonly said in Western cultures. You might be surprised to learn the correct way to pronounce "tathagata" or "Avalokitesvara."