Sphota Theory: While Reading, Students gaze A...

Sphota Theory: While Reading, Students gaze At the Word Which Produces Sound (Dhvani) in Their Mind and They Burst Out With Pronunciation

Author Name : Sudha Shaw, Dr. S. Prasannasree

ABSTRACT

English pronunciation is a challenging task with different objectives at each level. At the beginning level, English  learners need to focus on the basics of pronunciation. In general, the use of rote learning is best for this level. Learning another alphabet for pronunciation is beyond the capability of most beginning level English learners. The best way to help students improve their pronunciation skills is to encourage them to speak English as much as they possibly can. Sphota is an important concept in the Indian  grammatical tradition of Vyakarana, relating to the problem of speech production,how the mind orders linguistic units into coherent discourse and meaning.Sanskrit word Sphota is etymologically derived from the root “sphut” to “burst”. It is used in its technical linguistic sense. This theory opens with the observation that words or sentences can be considered under two aspects, as sound patterns or as meaning – bearing symbols.In meaningful language, linguists recognise two entities, both of which may be called words. According to Sphota theory, the relation between word and meaning is not fixed. Like the moving reflection of an object in flowing water, the word reflects the meaning, depending on the context of speech and nature of the speaker. The subsequent benefit of the study of language is that it expands our horizons. When we study a piece of language, we get to read about a life styles ride through the eyes of any individual other than ourselves. Pronunciation is more than 'listen and repeat'. Pronunciation includes features of language (vocabulary and grammar) and skills (speaking and listening). Like vocabulary and grammar, we pronounce by noticing and understanding rules and patterns which lie beneath the surface of speech.

Keywords:- Sphota Theory, sound, pronunciation, grammar,Bhartrhari, bursting forth