Sanskrit A

lglor1671  2020-2021  Louvain-la-Neuve

Sanskrit A
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information below is subject to change, in particular that concerning the teaching mode (presential, distance or in a comodal or hybrid format).
5 credits
30.0 h
Q2

This biannual learning unit is being organized in 2020-2021
Teacher(s)
Vielle Christophe;
Language
French
Main themes
An initiation into Sanskrit, the classic language of Brahmanical and Buddhist India and Indianised Asia.
Alternately with LGLOR1672, this course is given to two distinct groups of students according to their level.
For level I.1 (beginners), it deals systematically with writing, phonetics, morphology (principles of derivation and composition, declensions and conjugation) and syntax, illustrated by short extracts of simple classical texts.
For level I.2, the course goes further into the details of the grammar on the basis of the translation of longer extracts from classical texts of medium difficulty.
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 At the end of this course, which implies following the course LGLOR1672 also, the student will be capable, with help of the appropriate tools, of translating Sanskrit texts of elementary and average difficulty. In order to achieve this goal, he will have acquired the reading of syllabic writing, the principal grammatical structures, and a basic vocabulary.

 
 
 
Content
Sanskrit is the classical language of the literary, religious and scholarly traditions of Brahmanical and Buddhist India and Indianised Asia.
Level 1: After a brief historical introduction (Indo-European origin and Pâninian codification of Sanskrit), the course treats devanâgarî syllabic writing, phonetics (notably the rules for euphonic combination or sandhi), the morphology of nouns (declensions) and of verbs (conjugations) as well as a basic vocabulary explained according to the principles of derivation and composition, and the peculiar syntaxic features. Each grammatical notion is illustrated by example sentences drawn from the literary tradition which are used as progressive translation exercises.
Level 2: the course consists in the commented reading of a classical narrative or epic text (for example an extract from the Mahâbhârata), which allows to go further into the grammatical study of the language.
Teaching methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

At the level 1, the lectures rely on a collection of example sentences drawn from the literary tradition and on a reference grammar that the students are trained to use.
At the level 2, the lectures are based on classical texts, a copy of the edition of which is provided to the students who are asked to prepare the translation using dictionaries and other standard working tools.
Evaluation methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

Oral exam consisting in the reading, translation and grammatical analysis of example sentences or extracts from the lectured texts.
Other information
English-friendly course: course taught in French but offering facilities in English.
Online resources
The online working tools related to the course are provided to the students directly or via Moodle.
Bibliography
• Filliozat, P.-S. 1992 (3e ed. 2010), Le sanskrit, Paris : PUF, Que sais-je ? 1416.
• Macdonell, A. A. 1927 (3e ed.), A Sanskrit Grammar for Students, Oxford UP.
https://archive.org/details/sanskritgrammarf014425mbp
http://macdonell.vedicsociety.org.in
• Renou, L. 1946, Grammaire sanskrite élémentaire, Paris : A. Maisonneuve.
• Gonda, J. 1997 (3e ed.), Manuel de grammaire élémentaire de la langue sanskrite, trad. R. Rocher, avec addenda, corrigenda et index par B. Oguibénine, Paris : J. Maisonneuve [1ère ed. 1966, Leiden : Brill].
• The Sanskrit Heritage Dictionary / The Sanskrit Grammarian (Gérard Huet)  http://sanskrit.inria.fr/DICO/index.html
• Stchoupak, N., Nitti, L. & Renou, L. 1932, Dictionnaire sanskrit-français, Paris : A. Maisonneuve, Publications de l’Institut de Civilisation indienne.
http://www.archive.org/details/dictionnairesans00stchuoft
http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/STCScan/2013/web/index_fr.php
Faculty or entity
GLOR


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [120] in Sciences of Religions

Bachelor in Ancient Languages and Literatures: Oriental Studies

Minor in Antiquity: Egypt, Eastern World, Greece, Rome