Summary of k G labels in tiG.mmmmmmmmm ^ C+ 1386

An apit that replaces anything but liT and soft liG is Git by sArvadhAtukamapit.

An apit that replaces liT is kit by asaMyogAlliTkit.

All flat liG affixes are Git by yAsuT.

All hard liG affixes are Git by either yAsuT or sArvadhAtukamapit.

The soft bent liG affixes are usually neither kit nor Git by any rule,

but uzca sometimes makes them kit.

Doerless loT.mmmmmmmmm ^ C+ 1388

All verbs in Sanskrit can be used either personally (expressing the doer), like here --

pazyAmi zakunim "I see a bird"

dRzyate zakunir mayA "I see a bird"

or impersonally, without expressing the doer --

dRzyate zakuniH "someone sees a bird, a bird is being seen"

It is extremely common to use this dRzyate zakuniH expression to mean "I see a bird", "he sees a bird", "you see a bird", "someone sees a bird" when the context makes clear who is doing the seeing.

For instance, if I'm alone at home and you come from the beach, and I ask you dRSTaz candraH "has the moon been seen?", you will imagine that I am asking if YOU saw the moon. And then you'll answer dRSTaH "it has", or na dRSTaH "it hasn't", and you have no need to say mayA because I know that you are speaking about yourself.

This can be very perplexing until you get used to it.

It is even more perplexing when the loT tense is used impersonally. These are four commands that express the doer --

gaccha nadIm "go to the river! (addressing one person)"

gacchata nadIm "go to the river! (addressing many)"

gacchatu nadIm "let him go to the river!"

gacchAma nadIm "let's go to the river!"

and any of them may (and will often) be replaced with the impersonal command --

gamyatAnM nadI "let the river be gone to"

This "let the river be gone to" sounds awkward in English, but the original ganyatAm is very natural Sanskrit. So, translators are advised to avoid that exact grammatical translation. Instead, translate gamyatAm as "go!" or "let him go" or "let's go!", whatever it means.

sandhimmmmmmmmm ^ M- C+ 1390

The word sandhi (correctly spelled: sandhi), in plain Sanskrit, means "joining".

In Sanskrit grammar jargon, sandhi means the changes of sound that happen when joining words.

In English grammar jargon, sandhi means the changes of sound that happen when joining words (see Wikipedia on Sandhi).

Example of sandhi in English.

If you say "iced ink" inside a sentence at normal talking speed, it is likely that you'll end up saying "I stink".

English grammarians say that the pronunciation "I stink" is incorrect and that we should always speak slowly and carefully to avoid it.

English grammarians also say that only the spelling "iced ink" is allowed, no matter how you say it.

Example of sandhi in Sanskrit.

If we make the words azvas and dravati into a sentence, at normal speed, we'll say azvodravati "horse runs".

Sanskrit grammarians say that the pronunciation "azvas dravati" is incorrect and that we must always say azvodravati.

Sanskrit custom says that we must always spell azvodravati, because that's what we actually say.