ROMAN SAM’SKRTA

Pronounciation guide

 

 

EXAMPLES OF PRONUNCIATION

 

The symbols, fonts or characters of International Phonetic Alphabet; IPA, containing short vowels, long vowels, diphthongs and consonants are not found adequate for truly representing the TA’NTRIC SYMBOLS OR INDO-A’RYAN ALPHABETS. They are also only approximate symbolization of vocal expressions and vary in accordance with nature, characteristics, locality etc. The IPA symbols are not quickly available for presentation, more difficult to grasp by common English knowing people, do not truly express the sound, hence not used here except showing some examples.

 

(In Sam’skrta phonetics, the letters are systematically arranged- BA’BA’ V.V. p7)

  

 

SVARA VARN’A (APPROXIMATE VOWELS): PURE

 

A/a (Λ) --- as in run, her, but, tub, cut, (adopted here, though may have 21 Types of pronunciations)

A’/a’ (α:, Ɔ: ) --- as in arm, saw, far, bath, fall, father

I/i (ı) --- as in sit, pin, thin, bit, sin, wig, lid

II/ii (ı:) --- as in see, teeth, cheek, flee, deep,

U/u (Ʊ) --- as in put,

U’/u’ (u:) --- as in too, boon, soon,

R/r (r) --- it is a half-letter [has no ending vowel sound] but jointly used as ri or ru pronunciation.

rr, lr, lrr, --- Used in Vedic language only but of ta’ntrik significance

E/e (e,ǝ) --- as in bed, ago, day,

AE/ae (ǽ,eı) --- as in cat, fan, dash, dam, bat, rat,

O/o (eƱ) --- as in no, go, so, note, vote, coat, open, door,

AO/ao (aƱ) --- as in hot, how, out, shout,

 

 

DEMI VOWELS

 

AM’/am’ (   ) --- (nasalisation of preceeding vowel ) as in tank, bond, pink

AH/ah (   ) --- (aspirated version or ha sound appended to the vowel) as in bah, blah, vah

 

 

VYAINJANA VARN’A belonging to Varga or class (APPROXIMATE CONSONANTS)

 a halanta or has’anta means pronunciation
without inherent ‘a’ ending

 

KA/ka (   ), - as in cat, coat, car, kite, kit,

KHA/kha (   ),- (aspirated k) as in khaki, khan,

GA/ga (   ), - as in get, go,

GHA/gha (   ),- (aspirated g) as in ghost, ghetto, aghast,

UNA/ una ( ɧ  )- as in song, sing, bring, ring, ping-pong, cling

CA/ca (tʃ), - as in chat, chamber, chalk, chain, chase, cheese, church

CHA/cha (   ),- (aspirated c) as in ?

JA/ja (   ), - (hard or palatal) as in jar, jelly, job (light pronunciation is not symbolized here)

• Hard ja is pronounced by touching the tongue to the upper palate

• Light ja is pronounced by thrusting the tongue towards the teeth’s lower gum like Z

JHA/jha (   ),- (aspirated j)as in ?

INA/ina (   ),- as in clinch

T’A/t’a (   ), -  (cerebral) as in top, tub, tumbler,

T’HA/t’ha (   ),- (aspirated t’)as in ?

D’A/d’a ( Ǒ  ), - (cerebral) as in dog, dam etc.

D’HA/d’ha (   ),- (aspirated d’a)as in  ?  . but “d’a” and “d’ha” occurring in the middle of a word and at the end are pronounced “r’a” and “r’ha” respectively

N’/n’a (   ),- (cerebral) as in ?

TA/ta (   ), - (dental) as in  ?

THA/tha ( Ө),- (aspirated t) as in thick, thin, thalamus, opthalmia

DA/da (   ), - (dental) as in them,

DHA/dha (   ),- (aspirated da) as in ?

NA/na (   ),- (dental) as in no, none, nun, nice, new,

PA/pa (   ), - as in pen, pet,

PHA/pha (   ),- (aspirated p)as in few,

BA/ba (   ), - as in but, bit, byte, bite, bang

BHA/bha (   ),- (aspirated b) as in ?

MA/ma (   ), - as in mom, man,

 

 

ANTASTHA VARN’A  (pronunciation differs
at the start of word)

 

YA/ya (   ), - If appearing at start of the word, it should be pronounced as “light ja”otherwise “ia”(=near); is a combination of "I+A"

RA/ra (   ), - as in red, ram, ray, tongue touches teeth of upper palate for starting ra otherwise without

LA/la (   ), - as in leg, lad, lap, all, if not at start of word, it should be pronounced as lra

VA/va (   ), - as in voice, van, love, ever, if not at start of the word, it should be pronounced like wa (world, wonder)

WA/wa ( ) - is a combination of "O+A"

 

 

U’S’MA VARN’A  (pronunciation creates
heat in vocal cavity)

SHA/sha (  ʃ ),- (palatial= tongue touches back of palate) as in shine, shoe, shoot, shy, bush,

S’A/s’a ( ), - (cerebral= tongue touches middle of palate) as as in Krs’n’a

SA/sa (   ), - (dental = tongue tip touches teeth)) as in sit, same, so,

HA/ha (   ), - as in he, hen,

KS’A/ks’a (   ) - (aspirated x, quick pronunciation may be made like KKHA ) as in text,