Sanskrit is a historical and outstandingly legend-borne Indo-Aryan language, which has since prehistoric times been considered as one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism. Sanskrit language is also lent prestige by choosing it as one of the twenty-two official languages of India. Classical Sanskrit, the period in which the language began to spread amongst the common masses, is the `standard register` as represented in the grammar of Panini, approximately around 4th century B.C.E. Its status in the societies and customs of South and Southeast Asia runs almost parallel with that of Latin and Greek in Europe and has profoundly charmed and determined most modern languages of Nepal and India. The pre-Classical form of Sanskrit is referred to as Vedic Sanskrit, with the language of the Rig Veda being the oldest and most antiquated stage preserved to this date. Its most oldest nucleus dates back to as early as 1500 B.C.E., stipulating Rigvedic Sanskrit as one of the oldest testimony of any Indo-Iranian language and also one of the earliest authenticated members of the Indo-European language family.

The corpus of Sanskrit language and literature comprehends an enriched tradition of poetry and drama as also including scientific, technical, philosophical and Hindu religious texts. In contemporary times, Sanskrit continues to be extensively used as a ceremonial language in Hindu sacred rituals in the kinds of hymns and mantras. Sanskrit pronunciation is still in use in a few traditional institutions in India, with attempts being voraciously made for the language`s revivification.

The Sanskrit verbal adjective samskrta is generally lend scholarly interpretations as "put together, well or completely formed, refined, highly elaborated". It is inferred from the root word sam(s)kar - "to put together, compose, arrange, prepare", where sam- "together" stands for English same and (s)kar- refers to "do, make". The language denoted as samskrta v?k "the cultured language" has by definition always been a "sacred" and "sophisticated" language, utilised for religious and learned conversational purposes in ancient India. Sanskrit language has also been steeply contrasted with the languages spoken by the common man, prakrta "natural, artless, normal, ordinary". It is also called deva-bhasa, entailing the "divine language" or the "language of devas or demigods".

Sanskrit language applies itself as a member of the Indo-Iranian sub-family of the Indo-European family of languages. Its nearest ancient kin comprise the Iranian languages Old Persian and Avestan. Within the more panoptic Indo-European language family, Sanskrit shares distinctive sound modulations with the Satem languages (especially the Slavic and Baltic languages) and also with Greek.

As regards with the origin of Sanskrit language in India, scholars and researchers stand once more in argument with the purpose of explaining common features shared by Sanskrit and other Indo-European languages. Many have proposed the `migration hypotheses` laying stress on the fact that the original speakers of what became Sanskrit arrived in what is presently India and Pakistan from the north-west, some time during the early second millennium B.C.E. Proper substantiation for such a theory includes the intimate kinship of the Indo-Iranian tongues with the Baltic and Slavic languages, vocabulary interchange with the non-Indo-European Finno-Ugric languages and the nature of the testified Indo-European words for flora and fauna.

The earliest authenticated and documented Sanskrit texts comprise Hindu texts of the Rig Veda, which are hypothesised to be located in the Punjab region and dated to the mid-to-late second millennium B.C.E. However, written records of any kind from such an early period fail to survive. The development of Sanskrit language from the Rig Veda until the time of Panini (fl. 4th century B.C.E.) can be fruitfully ascertained in other Hindu texts of the Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda, Brahmanas and Upanishads. During this period, the standing and status of the language, its use for sanctified resolves and the importance adhered to its appropriate accent and diction, all served as powerful conformist forces rejecting normal processes of linguistic metamorphosis.

The oldest surviving Sanskrit grammar is Panini`s Astadhyayi, legendary for its meticulous yet sophisticated handling by such a calculative man, translated to English as "Eight-Chapter Grammar". The text is essentially a prescriptive grammar, i.e., an authority that delineates (rather than describes) correct Sanskrit, although it encompasses descriptive parts, mostly to justify some Vedic forms, the utilisation of which had become rare during Panini`s time.

In this context of Sanskrit language and its ancient usage in India, the term "Sanskrit" was not looked upon as a definitive language sequestered from other languages, but rather as a specially polished or perfected style of speaking. Knowledge of Sanskrit was a an authentic stamp of social class and educational accomplishment in ancient India and the language was taught principally to members of the higher castes, through close scrutiny of Sanskrit grammarians as was Panini. Sanskrit, as the learned language of Ancient India, thus existed together with the Prakrits (vernaculars), which thus germinated into the Middle Indic dialects and eventually into contemporary modern Indo-Aryan languages.

Vedic Sanskrit Language
Sanskrit, as delimitated by Panini, had evolved out of the earlier "Vedic" form. Origin of Vedic Sanskrit can be traced as early as approximately 1500 B.C.E. (recognised date of composition of Rig Veda). Scholars often discriminate Vedic Sanskrit and Classical or "Paninian" Sanskrit language as separate `dialects`. Though they bear essential similarities, they also differ in a number of elementary points of phonology, vocabulary and grammar and syntax. Vedic Sanskrit is universally acknowledged as the language of the Vedas, a colossal collection of hymns, incantations (Samhitas), theological discourses and religio-philosophical discussions (Brahmanas, Upanishads), representing the earliest religious texts of Hindu religion. Present-day linguists regard the metrical hymns of Rig Veda Samhita to be the earliest, compiled by numerous authors over centuries of oral tradition. The culmination of the Vedic period is distinguished by the composition of the Upanishads, which form the closing part of the Vedic corpus in traditional compilations. About the mid 1st millennium B.C.E., Sanskrit began its journey of transition from a first language to a second language of religion and learning, marking the commencement of the Classical period.

Classical Sanskrit Language
For almost 2000 years, a cultural order was in vogue that wielded influence across South Asia, Inner Asia, Southeast Asia and to a definite extent, East Asia. A noteworthy form of post-Vedic Sanskrit is determined in the Sanskrit of the Hindu Epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The digressions from Panini in the epics are in general regarded on the tremendous basis of intervention from Prakrits, or "innovations" and not because they are pre-Paninean. Traditional Sanskrit scholars coin such digressions as aarsha, or "of the rishis", the traditional designation for ancient authors. In some contexts, there also exists more "prakritisms" (loans from common speech) as opposed to in Classical Sanskrit proper. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit represents a Middle Indic literary language based upon early Buddhist prakrit texts that afterwards assimilated to the Classical Sanskrit standard in varying extent.

According to established scholars of 20th century, there existed four principal dialects of classical Sanskrit language, namely: pa?cimottari (Northwestern, also called Northern or Western), madhyade?i (lit., middle country), purvi (Eastern) and dakshini (Southern, sprang up during the Classical period). The precursors of the first three dialects are even testified in Vedic Brahmanas, of which the first one was regarded as the purest (Kausitaki Br?hmana, 7.6).

As can be pretty much understood and envisioned, Sanskrit language during ancient Indian times had truly seized profound significance amongst both the educated and rather less-educated. Men were of the habit to mouth in Sanskrit too, besides the extensive association of the pre-historic language with bulks of writing. However, Sanskrit was son to fall into chasms of decline, not enjoying that very supreme status again. Various reason culminated to such a position. There exists a number of socio-linguistic studies of verbalised Sanskrit which strongly hints that in its oral use, the language was limited and was not witnessed to develop any further. Based on this, some researchers propose that Sanskrit had indeed become `dead`, but the distinction is not still clearly comprehended, with majority of the populace dishearteningly describing it as a "dead language".

The decline of Sanskrit language usage in literary and political circuits was in all likelihood due to a waning of the political institutions that backed it. This downfall was additionally intensified by contention with vernacular languages, which were by this time assaying literary-cultural distinction. There lies traces of existence of regional disparity in dynamism of these vernacular movements and Sanskrit declined in various manners throughout the subcontinent. For instance, in some areas, Kashmiri was employed alongside Sanskrit as the language of literature after 13th century. Then again, Sanskrit works from the Vijayanagara Empire failed to travel outside their demarcated place and time of composition.

In spite of this apparent "death" of Sanskrit language and the literary usage of vernacular languages, Sanskrit continued to be used in literary cultures in India. But the "death" signified that Sanskrit would not be used again to communicate metamorphosing forms of subjectivity and sociality embodied and conceived in the modern era. Instead, it was subdued to "reinscription and restatements" of ideas already explored; any amount of ingenuity in Sanskrit was throttled to religious hymns and verses.

Phonology in Sanskrit Language
Classical Sanskrit describes and recognises approximately 36 phonemes (smallest fixed structural unit that marks the meaning). There however exists some allophony (one of several identical speech sounds (phones) that belong to the same phoneme) and the writing systems utilised for Sanskrit normally intend this very precise context. Thus, phonology in Sanskrit distinguishes 48 sounds. The sounds are traditionally listed in the order vowels (Ach), diphthongs (Hal), anusvara and visarga, plosives (Spar?a) and nasals (beginning from the back of the mouth and moving forward) and finally the liquids and fricatives.

Vowels in Sanskrit Language
The vowels of Classical Sanskrit have their word-initial in Devanagari symbol, along with the diacritical mark with the consonant and its pre-ordained pronunciation.

The long vowels are enounced twice as long as their short twins (pertaining to short vowels). There also exists a third, extra-long length for most vowels, referred to as pluti, which is employed in several cases, but predominantly in the vocative case. However, pluti is not recognised by all grammarians. The vowels /e/ and /o/ continue as allophonic versions of Proto-Indo-Iranian /ai/, /au/ and are assigned as diphthongs by Sanskrit grammarians, even though they are conceptualised phonetically as plain long vowels.

There exists some additional symbolic details in Sanskrit language, traditionally listed in tables of the Devanagari script.

They can listed as follows:

The diacritic referred to as anusvara, is used both to indicate the nasalisation of the vowel in associated and likeable syllables and to represent the sound of a syllabic /n/ or /m/; for example in /p??/.

The diacritic referred to as visarga, represents /?h/ ; for example in /p?h/.

The diacritic referred to as chandrabindu are not traditionally incorporated in Devanagari charts for Sanskrit. This very chandrabindu is utilised interchangeably with the anusvara to designate nasalisation of the vowel, principally in Vedic notation; for example in /p??/.

If an isolated consonant is essential to be scripted without any subsequent vowel, it is lent with a hasanta/vir?ma diacritic below.

The vowel /a/ in Sanskrit is recognised as being more central and less of a back vowel than the closest English estimation. However, grammarians have indeed relegated it as a back vowel.

Ancient Sanskrit grammarians had classed the vowel system into velars, retroflexes, palatals and plosives as opposed to back, central and front vowels. Other than the "four" cardinal diphthongs utilised in Sanskrit language, this ancient Indian language normally prohibits any other diphthong. Vowels in progressive sequence, wherever they occur, are transformed to semivowels according to sandhi rules.

Phonology and Sandhi in Sanskrit Language
The phonological system of rules to be implemented when amalgamating morphemes to a word and when combining words to a sentence are together clustered in a system called sandhi or placed as "composition". Texts are pennded down phonetically, with sandhi made use of accordingly (apart from the supposed padap?tha). Sandhi, indeed is an integral part in both ancient and present day Sanskrit language, with surging popularity reaching towards influencing Bengali language as well. The long syllabic `I` in Sanskrit language is not authenticated and finds usage only when discussed by grammarians for organised and systematic grounds. The I`s short counterpart comes about in a single root system only, `kIp` as is explained by "to order, array". Long syllabic r is also somewhat marginal, taking place in the genitive plural of r-stems (e.g. matr "mother" and pitr "father" have genitive plural as in matrnam and pitrnam). i, u, r, I are considered as vocalic allophones of consonantal y, v, r, l. There exists therefore only 5 customarily vocalic phonemes, a, ?, ?, ?, r.

Visarga in Sanskrit language is again regarded as an allophone of r and s and anusvara in m, Devanagari of any nasal, both in pausa (i.e., the nasalised vowel). The precise and accurate pronunciation of the three sibilants have chances of differing, but they still are distinctive phonemes. An aspirated voiced sibilant /z/ in Sanskrit bears familial transmittance from the Indo-Aryan language family and again from Proto-Indo-Iranian family, but lost shortly prior to the era of Rig Veda. The retroflex consonants are to some extent considered as marginal phonemes, often being conditioned by their phonetic surroundings. The nasal [n] in Sanskrit is again a conditioned allophone of /n/ (/n/ and /?/ are distinct phonemes, for instance in `minute` and `atomic`. There hence exists thirty-one consonantal or semi-vocalic phonemes. These Sanskritic phonemes together comprise four or five forms of stops, substantiated both with or without aspiration and both voiced and voiceless, three nasals, four semi-vowels or liquids and four fricatives, scripted in IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is an accepted transcription scheme) transliteration as follows:

k, kh, g, gh; c, ch, j, jh; t, th, d, dh; t, th, d, dh; p, ph, b, bh; m, n, n; y, r, l, v; ?, s, h or a sum of thirty-siz exclusive Sanskrit phonemes altogether.