[Facts] Re: Pronunciation of Teja
by তন্ময় ভট্টাচার্য্য (guest)
2/21/2018, 5:37 PM
That combination probably comes from Sanskrit. The root tij means to prick or sharpen (related to English stick), and teja means sharpness, and by extension, power. The t- is a voiced dental plosive, the -e- is a voiced long close-mid front vowel (started as an a+i dipthong in ancient language, but lost that quality pretty fast), the -j- is a voiced palatal affricate, and the -a is a schwa, which can be made into a long open -a to make it feminine. Incidentally pavana, purifier, is from pU, related to english fire, meaning to purify. It is the usual name for the wind spirits. The -a dropped out in modern north Indian languages.