A language learners’ forum

I Need for the moment increase my English skills, i want to be a great church, philosophical and theological writer

MCK74 wrote:I received Lingua Latina yesterday and have been using it. I love it right now.

LLPSI is the best language learning course ever made, for any language. It's worth pointing out, however, after saying so, that the difficulty curve goes up a lot in the second volume. It might be easier to try to find something from the Renaissance or Middle Ages to read between the two, but that, of course, depends on your prior experience.

I found this lecture by Nancy Llewellyn to be useful for using Orberg. Although the lecture is aimed at teaching, she goes through many of the problems with the text that often affects self-learners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adv_lbe ... ex=32&t=0s

Could someone tell me the best books and YouTube resources for learning Sanskrit?

Also the best resources to read after having learned the language.

I go to sources here but am not sure which would be the correct choice.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Complete+Sanskrit&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

We are talking about take off from ground zero with only French as my current L2.

Thanks.

Carmody wrote:Could someone tell me the best books and YouTube resources for learning Sanskrit?

Also, the best resources to read after having learned the language...

A Sanskrit Resources list is something I’ve been planning to do for a long time. As I’m a bit short on time right now, I’ll give the basic minimum to get you started and hopefully come back to make a more detailed post later (Don't count on that though ) .
I either own or at least have seen almost all the Sanskrit courses available in English and French (and a few in German). In my opinion, the best option for an absolute beginner is Thomas Egenes’s Introduction to Sanskrit: Part 1. This book is a very gentle introduction and has an answer key.
You may supplement it with The Joy of Sanskrit which is based on Egenes.

https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/t ... y-sanskrit

At the same time, you can use Medha Michika’s “Alphabet” books to learn and practice the script. They are legally available for free download as well.

http://arshaavinash.in/index.php/books- ... t-grammar/
A Practical Sanskrit Introductory by Charles Wikner (free) gives a good introduction to the language. (Available in French too).
http://www.danam.co.uk/Sanskrit/Sanskri ... ctory.html

So what is missing is audio. There are hundreds of videos etc but I haven’t checked them. In my opinion, a better option is to use one of the following courses to supplement Egenes.

Assimil Le Sanscrit
Not recommended as the only resource but as always there's good audio.

Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit
Has a companion website, Youtube Videos and answer key available from the author. She runs a free “course” by email based on the book. There’s a Facebook group too where you can ask questions.
http://cambridge-sanskrit.org

The Sanskrit Language by Maurer
Again an excellent resource. A lot of reading material. Introduces continuous texts from the beginning. The current edition has no answer key but a new edition (most likely with an answer key) is scheduled to be published next year. This book has no official companion site but a Sanskrit teacher runs a great website with audio, answers and explanations to accompany the book. Highly recommended.

http://www.thesanskritlanguage.com

There are several other very good books in English and French but some of them have no answer key. Others though excellent could be a bit overwhelming. Let me know if you have any questions on these or other Sanskrit resources.
P.S. I forgot to address the resources for reading. I think above-mentioned books have enough reading for a beginner.
The best readers include:
Ramopakhyana - The Story of Rama in the Mahabharata: A Sanskrit Independent-Study Reader
https://www.amazon.com/Ramopakhyana-Mah ... 1-fkmrnull
The Bhagavad Gita by Winthrop Sargeant
https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Tw ... =8-2-fkmr0
A Sanskrit Reader by Lanman
https://www.amazon.com/Sanskrit-Reader- ... way&sr=8-3

Edied to correct typos etc.

aravinda

Thank you very much for your very rapid and comprehensive response. It is greatly appreciated. To be absolutely honest, I am just doing a preliminary survey now and have not made any commitment yet. I guess I am circling it for the moment.

Thank you.

PfifltriggPi wrote:

MCK74 wrote:I received Lingua Latina yesterday and have been using it. I love it right now.

LLPSI is the best language learning course ever made, for any language. It's worth pointing out, however, after saying so, that the difficulty curve goes up a lot in the second volume. It might be easier to try to find something from the Renaissance or Middle Ages to read between the two, but that, of course, depends on your prior experience.

I should probably mention that I wasn't payed to say that. I genuinely think it's amazing. I learned almost everything I know from that book, and could still go into second-year university Latin and have already learned almost everything in that class.

aravinda wrote:In my opinion, the best option for an absolute beginner is Thomas Egenes’s Introduction to Sanskrit: Part 1. This book is a very gentle introduction and has an answer key.
Assimil Le Sanscrit
Not recommended as the only resource but as always there's good audio.
Ramopakhyana - The Story of Rama in the Mahabharata: A Sanskrit Independent-Study Reader
https://www.amazon.com/Ramopakhyana-Mah ... 1-fkmrnull

These are the 3 I've seen most highly recommended elsewhere as I obsessively seek out any and all mentions of Sanskrit resources awaiting the day I can tackle this language.

I am investigating whether or not to learn Sanskrit or Pali. So I know nothing of either language, however, my preliminary research suggests if I learn Sanskrit I will be reading primarily religious texts of Hinduism and if I learn Pali, I will be reading primarily texts of early Buddhism.

Am I wrong in those conclusions?

Carmody wrote:I am investigating whether or not to learn Sanskrit or Pali. So I know nothing of either language, however, my preliminary research suggests if I learn Sanskrit I will be reading primarily religious texts of Hinduism and if I learn Pali, I will be reading primarily texts of early Buddhism.

Am I wrong in those conclusions?

Pali: Yes, almost exclusively Buddhist scriptures or literature
Sanskrit: No, not at all. There's a wide variety of Sanskrit works covering a range of subjects.