Syllabicity
Traditionally syllables (not letters) in Sanskrit are called "Akshara", meaning "imperishable (entity)", as it were "atoms" of speech. These aksharas are basically classified mainly into two types,
- Svara (pratyahara aC) : Vowel
- Vyanjana (pratyahara haL) : Consonant
Svara akṣaras are also known as prāṇa akṣara i.e. they are main sounds in speech, without which speech is not possible. Pāṇini referred to svara by ac pratyahāra. After him, they are referred as ac Akṣara.
Vyañjana means embellishment, i.e., consonants are treated as embellishment for the vowels to make a language sonorant. They are also known as Prāni akshara i.e., they are like a body in which life (svara) will be present. Pāṇini referred to vyañjana by Hal Pratyahāra. After him, they are referred as Hal akshara.
Again vyañjana akṣaras are divided into three types,
- Vyañjana
- Sparśa : Stop
- Antastha : Approximant
- Ūṣman: Sibilant
Sparśa akṣaras include syllables from Ka to Ma they are 25 in number. Antastha akṣaras include syllables ya, ra, la and va. Ūshman akṣaras include śa, sha, sa and ha.
It was told that a vowel can be pronounced in 18 ways (3x2x3) in Sanskrit language based on timing, manner, and accent of pronunciation.
Read more about this topic: Shiksha