nyUGkha pronunciation in vedic recitation

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Dear list members,

(I'm using Harvard-Kyoto transliteration)

I've come across a reference to nyUGkha pronunciation in S. Varma, Critical

Observations of Indian Grammarians, page 2.

I quote:

"Its [the aitareya BrAhmaNa] prescription of the nyUGkha pronunciation

indicates that the study of phonetics had reached a considerably advanced

stage even during this period (circa 800-1000BC), if the traditional data of

the AzvalAyana zrauta sUtra are based on the actual occurrence of the

pronunciation in the time of this brAhmaNa. This pronunciation was

prescribed during the recitation of certain verses on the fourth day of the

navarAtra ceremony. A single vowel was to be repeated sixteen times in

varied quantity and accent. Thus the final o of Apo in Apo revatIH kSayathA

was (1) first pronounced with a quantity of three moras and the high tone:

03; (2) then five times as a short unaccented vowel - half o; (3) again like

(1), i.e. 03; (4) again five times like (2), i.e. o; (5) like (1), i.e. 03;

(6) three times like (2), i.e. o. So the final o of apo in this particular

recitation was pronounced as follows: 03 00000 03 00000 03 000 ."

 

Would someone be able to clarify for me the meaning of nyUGkha

pronunciation.

 

1) Is it just this one occurance of the vowel o on the end of apo that is

pronounced this way, or is it all the vowels of certain verses?

 

2) Is this a one off usage (i.e. 4th day Navaratna) or are there other

places and times it is used.

 

 

Many thanks,

 

Harry Spier

371 Brickman Rd.

Hurleyville, New York

USA 12747

 

 

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