"I have known Sakhya for over 40 years and his classes will be very informative and they will be fun, so you'll have a few good laughs while you learn wonderful shlokas. I think this is a very good opportunity to learn!" Mahatma Dasa, Bhakti School.
"My dear Sakhyarasa Prema Prabhu you are an enthusiastic Sanskrit pronunciation proponent. We want you to promote the re-formation of improved Sanskrit pronunciation in our worldwide ISKCON." Lokanath Swami, ISKCON Kirtan Minister.
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The pronunciation of Sanskrit is very simple: you open the mouth wide and move the tongue and lips as necessary. The tongue and lips are almost pure muscle and have little or no resistance to movement. By contrast, the pronunciation of English requires much effort, for the mouth is barely opened and instead of moving the tongue, the whole jaw is moved about to produce the sounds. For those who are habituated to speaking with a moving jaw, it requires some practice and attention to break that habit and speak with a moving tongue.
The basic difference between vowels and consonants is that vowels can be pronounced alone because they are pronounced with an open, unobstructed mouth, but consonants need to be pronounced with vowels because they involve various kinds of obstruction of the flow of air as it passes through the throat, mouth, and lips. This we can observe from studying the etymology of the English words vowel (from Latin vocabile, ― pronounceable) and consonant (con-sonante, ― sounding together). In addition, the pronunciation of a vowel can be prolonged but a consonant cannot. The pronunciation position of each alphabetical letter is precisely delineated in the Harinämämåta-vyākaraëa:
The biggest factor in practicing the refined sounds of Sanskrit is to open the mouth. For English, the mouth only opens to between 0.5 and 1cm, whereas for Sanskrit one should open the mouth between 2 or 2.5cms. Try this for yourself: with the mouth opened only slightly, pronounce a prolonged „a‟ and slowly open the mouth wide. As your mouth opens wider, listen to the change in quality, richness, and fullness that emerges. Can you hear the difference a closed or open mouth makes?
In pronouncing vowels, the sound is produced with free flowing air that is not stopped or blocked at any point. With consonants, the sound is produced in a similar way, but by using the tongue or the lips to stop and release the air at the throat, the palate, the upper part of the palate (roof), the teeth, or the lips.