A History of Sanskrit Literature c6.31

c6.31

Of the four different systems of marking the accent in Vedic texts, that of the *Rigveda* is most commonly employed. Here the acute is not marked at all, while the low-pitch *anudātta* is indicated by a horizontal stroke below the syllable bearing it, and the *svarita* by a vertical stroke above. Thus *yajnasyà* ("of sacrifice") would mean that the second syllable has the acute and the third the *svarita* (*yajnásyà*). The reason why the acute is not marked is because it is regarded as the middle tone between the other two.¹