Question

difference between anusutra ans anunalika
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Answer 1

⟶ANSWER

AnusvAra as the word itself explains is "giving voice to" following the vowel, the full and complete pronunciation of म् in अम्, कम् etc.,

In anunAsika the term tells you that it is a letter-pronunciation that is aided by the nose. Consider the Panini Sutra मुखनासिकावचनोऽनिनासिकः (पा.सू.1-1-08).मुख-नासिका-आवचनः = मुखनासिकावचनः सः अनुनासिकः | This is the definitional sutra for anunAsika. The standard explanation goes thus. मुखसहितानासिका= mouth(the oral cavity) together with the nose(the nasal column) ईशद्वचनम् आवचनम् = slightly pronounced. That means the anunAsika which represented in scripy by chandra-bindu the vowel must be nasalized. In fact in Paninian Grammar the nasalized vowel is one distinct entity in 18 basic forms of vowels. Thus the vanrgAnta(last letters of the vargIya-vyanjanas are the anunAsikas referred to by the pratyAhAra-sutra ञमङणनम् | This sutra collects all the anunAsikas together. These letters singly are best pronounced and correctly so by Malayalis. In snadhi formed usages like भवाँल्लुब्धैः(=भवान् + लुब्धैः) the long vowel आ is just nasalized.

Whatever you have written about the representation of anuswAra in script if correct and in line with Panini's recommendations.

How should the anuswAra in संस्कारः, संस्कृतम् be prononced? For in places where the anuswAra is followed by a vargIya-vyanjana the "process" of pronunciation "naturally" forces you to correctly pronounce the auswAra rightly. It is when anuswAra is follwoed by non-classed consonants that you get into trouble. You can see a variety of pronunciations of the anuswara in thses cases. It varies from pronouncing it as न् in northern states, somewhat like औँ in Maharashtra and North Karnataka and as well-intoned म् down south(South Karnataka, Andhra, Kerala and Tamilnadu). Which is in line with Panini?