In the pronunciation of Sanskrit almost all Brahmans employ, with insignificant variations, an ictus-accent, which is quite different from the older musical accent (svara) described in Indian and European grammars, and employed nowadays exclusively in the recitation of the Veda. The older system, moreover, as marked in the Vedic texts, has been subjected to very considerable modifications by the Hindus in the traditional recitations of the Vedic schools.
The modern ictus-accent is weaker than that of English. The more important rules governing its use are as follows:
1. a. In primitive verbs and derivatives from them the root-syllable is usually accented. b. But the accent never goes further back than the fourth place, and seldom back of the third. It may rest on the third syllable only if the penult be short; on the fourth, only if both antepenult and penult be short; thus, ka'raNam, ka'raNāt, but karaNe'na; bo'dhati, kShi'pasi, na'shyatha, but bodhā'vaH, kShipā'maH, nashya'nti; du'hitā, du'hitaram, but duhitRR'Nām.
2. Derivatives from nouns generally retain the accent of the primitive, with the limitations given in 1.b.; thus, ra'Nku, rā'Nkava; ga'rga, gā'rgyaH, but gārgyā'yaNī. A naturally short vowel in the penult, if followed by a group of consonants containing y or v, does not generally become long by position; thus, pra'bala, prā'balyam; u'kta, u'ktatvāt.
3. In verbs and verbal derivatives joined with prepositions, in augmented and reduplicated forms, and sometimes in declensional forms, the accent is recessive, if the root or stem-syllable be short; thus, ā'gamat, ā'natam, anu'ShThitam, but utkR'ShTam, niru'ktam; a'gamat, a'kShipat, but bibha'rti, tuShTā'va, jagā'u. Polysyllabic prepositions, when prefixed to other words, retain their own accent as secondary acent; thus, u'paga''cchati, u'paga''matām.
4. In compounds, unless the first member be a monosyllabic word, each part generally retains its own accent, but that of the principal member is the strongest; thus; rā'japu''ruSham, pa'rvatashikharākā''ram; but u'nmukham, di'ggajam, prashi'Shyam.
The division of syllables is much more apparent in Sanskrit than in English. In reading Sanskrit prose the Hindus generally drop into a sort of sing-song recitativo. Verses are always chanted.