Visarga (ḥ)

Translated literally, Visarga means "to send out" or "to release". It creates a lingering sound after the vowel. It can be understood as an allophone of r, s or h and is, depending on context and school of pronunciation, pronounced variably between these sounds.

Sanskrit Pronunciation
Fricatives and Aspirates
Sanskrit Pronunciation
Fricatives and Aspirates Fricatives and Aspirates

Fricatives and Aspirates

On the articulation of a fricative, a confined space is created. The air streaming out is swirled and creates a fricative. Compared to semivowels, which also count as approximants, the tongue moves closer to the confined space, though without the On the articulation of a fricative, a confined space is created. The air streaming out is swirled and creates a fricative. Compared to semivowels, which also count as approximants, the tongue moves closer to the confined space, though without the contact necessary for a plosive. In Sanskrit, there is a semivowel for four of the five places of articulation (h, ś, ṣ, s).

Depending on the context, the Visarga is pronounced as a fricative with different places of articulation. Therefore he is often called as a placeholder for any fricative sound.

A characteristic pronunciation can be explained as follows:

Am Satz-Ende

Am Satz-Ende wird der Visarga als gutturaler Hauch ausgesprochen.

Auch gebräuchlich ist ein schwaches Echo hinter dem Vokal:

  • Tendentiell haben kurze Vokale ein längeres Echo.
  • Tendentiell haben lange Vokale ein kürzeres Echo.
  • Bei den Umlauten ai und au hallt nur der zweite Umlaut-Bestandteil wider.

Dieses Echo stört jedoch bei metrischen Texten. Daher versuchen wir den Visarga am Satzende durchgehend als gutturalen Hauch auszusprechen.

Beispiele:

  • namaḥ (Gruß) wird gesprochen wie nama-h, oder (nicht empfohlen) in der Echo Variante:  nama-hā.
  • goḥ (Kuh) wird gesprochen wie go-h, oder (nicht empfohlen) in der Echo Variante:  go-ho .
  • āśayaiḥ (Überbleibsel) wird gesprochen wie āśayai-h, oder (nicht empfohlen) in der Echo Variante:  āśayi-hi.
Sanskrit Pronunciation
Gutturals Gutturals

Gutturals

Gutturals are produced deep down at the back of the oral cavity, at the bridge of the soft palate and the throat. In Sanskrit, there are guttural vowels (a / ā), plosives (k,kh,g,gh), nasals (ṅ) and fricatives (h). There is no guttural semivowel.

Jihvāmūlīya in front of unvoiced guttural sounds (k, kh)

When an unvoiced guttural sound (k or kh) follows, the Visarga is pronounced as an only slightly audible guttural sound, the so-called Jihvāmūlīya. The German ch comes close to this sound (example: Da-ch-Kater).

Examples:

  • duḥkha (suffering) is pronounced as du-ch-kha.
Sanskrit Pronunciation
Labials Labials

Labials

A sound that is produced either at or with the lips is called a labial. In Sanskrit, there are labial vowels (u, ū), plosives (p, ph, b, bh), nasals (m) and semivowels (v). A labial fricative exists only indirectly.

Upadhmānīya in front of unvoiced labial sounds (p, ph)

When an unvoiced labial sound (p or ph) follows, the Visarga is pronounced as an only slightly audible labial aspirate, the so-called Upadhmānīya. The German fh or ph comes close to this sound (example: Dor-f-Platz).

Examples:

  • vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ (five types of waves) is pronounced as vṛttaya-fh-pañcatayya-hā .

Ūṣman in front of fricatives (ś, ṣ or s)

When a fricative (ś, ṣ or s) follows, the Visarga adapts to the following fricative, a phenomenon called Ūṣman.

Examples:

  • śantiḥ śantiḥ śantiḥ (peace, peace, peace) pronounced as śanti-ś-śanti-ś-śanti-hi .
  • niḥ-śreyase (total wellbeing) pronounced as ni-ś-śreyase.

(with the two fricatives being merged into one long fricative)

Sanskrit Pronunciation
Palatals Palatals

Palatals

Palatals are produced by a vibration or stricture at the palate. In Sanskrit, there is a palatal for each sound class: vowel (i / ī), plosive (c,ch,j,jh), nasal(ñ), semivowel (y) and fricative (ś).

Sanskrit Pronunciation
Retroflexes Retroflexes

Retroflexes

The retroflexes characteristic of the Sanskrit language are produced with the tongue rolled back behind the teeth: vowel (r̥, r̥̄), plosive (ṭ,ṭh,ḍ,ḍh), nasal (ṇ), semivowel (r) and fricative (ṣ).

Sanskrit Pronunciation
Dentals Dentals

Dentals

In contrast to the corresponding German sounds, the tongue is not positioned at the dental root (alveolar) but almost between the teeth (dental) for: vowels (l̥,l̥̄), plosives (t,th,d,dh), nasals (n), semivowels (l) and fricatives (s).

Sanskrit Sandhi

Visarga (ḥ) as a final sound

As a final sound, a Visarga (ḥ) is adapted to the following word as an aspirate or sibilant.

Further combination are resolved by the Sandhi

After application of the Sandhi rules, further combinations should not occur.

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