Anandajoti-Bhikkhu

This page is dedicated to the dialogue with Mr Anandajoti Bhikkhu the prominent Indian prosodist .

It started with a message I sent to him about “ comparative metrics “ to which he responded with cocern.

Only those few people who are aware of the vast horizon that “numeric prosody” opened for Arabic prosody can imagine the prospects of gaining the concern of a prominent Indian prosodist in this subject. I daresay that this is a new birth for numerical prosody on an international scale.

If Mr. Anandajoti understood the alphabet of this subject, I am sure he will discover that he is almost fully aware of its content and implications. Then hopefully will come the joint effort to combine AlKhalil’s mentality with the vast Indian background on this subject to open a new page of joint human positive reaction and cooperation.

1- Khashan :

Dear Sir

I admire your subject on prosody. you are kindly requested to have a look on :

https://sites.google.com/site/alarood/r3/Home/comparative-metrics

your evaluation is highly appreciated.

Best Regards

Khashan

2- Anandajoti

· Dear Sir, sorry about the delay in replying, I only just now saw the message. Thank you for the link to your very interesting article on comparative prosody, that is very useful indeed.

It is an interesting idea to use numerals to represent weight. One problem from a Indian point of view is that we need to represent not only definite weights as with 1 & 2, but also alternate weights, 1 or 2. But more complicated than that in analysis, we may have 1 or 2 (or) 1,1 or 2, etc. where it becomes difficult to represent using numbers.

If I may point it out, one thing is this analysis is incorrect:

u – u u u – u – u –…..de va de va ja ga ta¯m pa te vi bho …2 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2

on the left it should read – u – u u u – u – u –. I am unsure why there is a line between a and m: a¯m? Is it to indicate extra weight?

The link you have posted to mettanet.lk is to one of my very old and uncorrected publications. I many times asked them to take it down, as they never published the font that is needed to read it correctly, but they keep it up in this unfortunate state.

For a corrected version of the same work see here: http://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Textual-Studies/Outline/index.htm

You will also find many more works on Pali and Sanskrit prosody in the same section: http://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Textual-Studies/TS-index.htm

With best wishes, Anandajoti

3- Khashan

Dear sir, I felt happy receiving your comment. The aim of my subject is to gain attention to this theme and its applications. It is for granted that any comprehensive start is an invitation for further correction and development.

of view is that we need to represent not only definite weights as with 1 & 2, but also alternate weights, 1 or 2. But more complicated than that in analysis, we may have 1 or 2 (or) 1,1 or 2, etc. where it becomes difficult to represent using numbers

Using 1 & 2 for weight (means wazn in Arabic) is of indian origin as Albeiruni said . Please check:

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_5949073_001/index.html

Their Grammatical And Metrical Literature - page 140‎

Where he talked about Indian meters and explained about laghu = 1 and guru=2

The fact that both Arabic and Indian Prosodies are quantitave facilitates the communication about this between us.

***

I will elaborate a little on the characteristics of 1 and 2

tap on a wooden desk to make a tik sound and pronounce it with your tapping

= then the both your voice and the tapping produce the sound = tik

tik =ti + k = cv + C = 1 + 0 = 1 0 = 2

The first ( ti=1 ) represents the movement of ytour tongue with the air wave caused by it

As well as the movement of your finger hitting the desk and the sound wave caused by it.

Here is the origin of both poetic and music meters.

And here is the start of a philosophical concept that there must be motion to start a sound or voice or action.

The( k=0) represents the closure of air passage in your mouth, as well as the silence that followed your tapping.

Tap again on a metallic surface to make a continuous sound and say tA= taaaa continuous sound and say it with that tapping you will be having an extending sound and voice = 10 = 2

To differentiate - if needed- between tik and taaa

We write tik = 2*……..taaa =2

As far as weight is concerned, they are the same. They differ in rhyme .

***

In Arabic 2, called sabab means cable, is of three types ‎

A – 2 underlined where it can be either 10 = 2 or 11=(2)

B- 2 where it may or may not lose its (0) , 2 may become 1 0 =1

C- 2 red were it must invariably be preceded by 1 where the form a new monolithic symbol 3 called watid = 1 10 = 1 2 = 3

So for the figure 2, we have following four or six symbols :

2 , 2* , 2, (2) , 1 2 = 3 , 1 2* = 3*

When to use each constitutes an important part of Arabic prosody.

In Arabic, I cannot think of any other possibility that is beyond the scope of these representations.

If you encounter in Indian any need for a further symbol, you can introduce it. The same applies to any other language.

If I may point it out, one thing is this analysis is incorrect:

u – u u u – u – u –…..de va de va ja ga ta¯m pa te vi bho …2 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2

on the left it should read – u – u u u – u – u –. I am unsure why there is a line between a and m: a¯m? Is it to indicate extra weight?

You are right. I added the misising (- ) and omitted the small line in ( a¯m). it was copied from the source.

Dear Sir,

Your participation will help make this approach applicable in many languages.

I am ready to start systematical lessons about its application in Arabic that can be modified to accommodate meters in other languages.

I invite you to this page:

http://arood.com/vb/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=4657