I got a message today from a reader asking about how to learn the Sanskrit script, and I wrote a response that met with some technical difficulties. I can’t find the original message or name of the reader because of Tumblr mobile issues, but it was a good question and maybe it can help other people who are also learning new scripts!
So, despite not knowing much about Sanskrit, here is a suggestion for a structured approach to learning its alphabet that is drawn from my experience learning new vocabulary (a new alphabet is in many ways like a vocabulary list) and Anglo-Saxon script (which is admittedly much easier than Sanskrit for an English-speaker).
I've edited the original message and added a bit more information, so I hope this serves as even more useful for its intended recipient:
Hi! Thanks for the question!
I don’t have a lot of experience learning other alphabets (all my language study to this point has been Latin-based languages, except for Anglo-Saxon script). That said, good study technique is universal and I can try to offer a bit of advice:
First, take the new script in small doses. Choose between 3-5 letters a day and really focus in on them. Staring at the whole alphabet each day is just going to exhaust you.
Remember that there are two parts to language-learning: receptive (what you take in as input) and productive (what you are able to create). So spend time not only reading Sanskrit and looking for your letters of the day, but also by writing and reproducing the letters (even if your handwriting is bad at first!).
Just reading the letters over and over isn’t going to help you — be active about your approach. Make your brain do a workout! Look for your letters of the day in words, then close the book and try to call those letters to mind. Come up with any little private trick that helps you — for example, the Sanskrit letter that makes an “oo” sound, like in “foot,” looks suspiciously like a couple little toes on a foot. Stupid, I know, but that kind of dorky little connection goes a long way helping you remember things. The more visual, the better!
And finally, don’t forget to review what you’ve already mastered to keep it strong. Here is what I might recommend if you have an hour:
10-15 minutes review of yesterday: Review letters, remember little memory tricks and images, write each letter a few times. Also quickly review letters from past days, writing the ones that give you the most trouble.
15 minutes to review 3-5 new letters. Make sure to invent visual memory tricks.
10 minutes seeking examples of the new letters in writing — aim for a few examples of each new one. Try to decipher some or all of the sounds in the words you find based off what you already know.
10 minutes trying to write/imagine or somehow produce the new letters from memory. You can look back if you get stuck, but really try not to at first.
10 more minutes of letter production like the above, but be strict with looking back and really focus in on the letters that give you the most trouble.
Ok! I hope that’s been at least a bit helpful. A structured study plan that you stick to and modify as you learn what works for you will carry you far.
Also, don't forget to scope out our guest article by Holly Walters about learning Hindi and how she is tackling the new script.
In the future I’ll be writing more articles about memorization and study technique.
Good luck learning Sanskrit!
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