Selected Bibliography with Annotations

SR No.: 006581
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Eastern School
Publisher: Eastern School
Publication Year: 1993
Total Pages: 26
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 2 MB

Page 18

Sanskrit Syntax
17 be seen by the large number of its reprintings. It contains numerous examples to illustrate the principles of Sanskrit syntax, always taken from classical Sanskrit literature, particularly the famous dramas and plays. It was also this literature from which Apte drew the additional type of vocabulary which distinguishes his Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary. The present book of 416 pages includes Sanskrit-English and English-Sanskrit glossaries of the less common words found in the examples cited, since the examples do not include English translation. It is written in lesson format, and designed for use with a teacher.
Sanskrit Syntax by J. S. Speijer is designed as a work of reference. Sanskrit syntax poses special difficulties for speakers of European languages, since the syntax of the latter is determined by word order, while the syntax of Sanskrit is determined by inflectional endings, i.e., noun declensions and verb conjugations, not by word order. This necessitates learning a new way to think, a non-linear way. This book was the first Sanskrit syntax written in Europe, and still remains the only one written in English by a Westerner. The author states in his preface that "it may be judged, what it is, as a first attempt, and an attempt undertaken by a foreigner." It, like Apte's, is a work on the syntax of classical Sanskrit, not Vedic. It refers to the les of Pāṇini whenever applicable, as well as making comparisons with Greek and Latin. It draws on a wider range of Sanskrit writings than Apte's, while Apte's quotes more examples.
Taraporewala's Sanskrit Syntax is a series of six lectures given in 1937, so is not a syntax textbook like Apte's, nor a reference syntax like Speijer's. These lectures are nonetheless of considerable value. The author knew not only English, Sanskrit, and his native Gujarati, but also German, Arabic, Persian, Pahlavi, and Avesta, had studied Greek and Latin, and was a professor of comparative philology. His translation of the Avesta Gāthās broke new ground in following his principle that a unit of meter is a unit of sense. This ancient Gāthic dialect of Avesta is in many ways closer to Vedic Sanskrit than is classical Sanskrit. This linguistic background led to some important insights in his lectures, particularly on the early Sanskrit verb