§§ 11-13.] 



ALPHABET. 



7 



short vowel which is not pronounced, be represented in transliteration by a 

 circumflex over the qualified vowel. Thus ^ will be represented by a, "^rf by a' , 

 ^ by ?, I by and so on. E.g. #rf^ la'li. When final, after a short 

 vowel which is not pronounced, as explained in §7, it will be represented 

 by 71. Thus, ^rf^ naJin. 



AnusvaraQ) will only be used throughout this grammar as a cojnpendium 

 scripturae for ^'W, ^w, w, '[n, or ?i m before another consonant of the 

 same class. Thus instead hwidd. It will hence be represented 

 in transliteration by iv, n, n, ii, or m, according to circumstances. This dis- 

 tinction between anundsika and anusvdra is adopted in order to prevent any 

 misapprehension as to pronunciation. 



(h). Coiisonants. i 



§ 11. ^ Jc, ^ 7l7?, ^ g,'^ cjli, ^ n-^ ^ c7«, w c/<7?, w i, *ffi/», ^ «, ^ t, 

 3 t/t, ^ d, s dh, ^ r/j, cT ^ i(7*, ^ d, ^ dh^ ^ n,-q p, '^fiph, ?r 5, vr hh^ 



?f w?, '^ X. i\ ^ I, ^ V, s\ ^ s, and ^ A' are usually pronounced as in Sams- 

 krit. As usual in modern A'ryan languages, of and <jI, and ^ and ^ are fre- 

 quently confounded both in pronunciation and in writing. I shall endeavour 

 throughout this grammar to represent all j sounds by either 5r or y 

 sounds by h sounds by either ^ or ^, and « and to sounds by ^ respectively. 

 It is not usual, however, to make these distinctions in writing. 



§ 12. The pronounciation of w « is peculiar. The lingual natm-e of 

 its sound is much more marked than in the Samskrit of Western India. It 

 has more the sound of a muffled lingual r followed by a lingual n ; e.g. TJ^W 

 is pronounced almost like Bdharn, the r in rn having a peculiar muffled 

 sound, impossible to describe in winting. "T n is occasionally substituted for 

 W n and is then pronounced as n. 



§ 13. ^s7t,when standing alone and not compounded with another con- 

 sonant, is always px'onounced as Mhh. Thus shashtli "sixth" is pronounced 

 hhasJitli. This pronunciation is universal : the vulgar even write such a ^ sh, 

 phonetically ^ Ich. In the compound consonant ^ rsJi, ^ sh is also always 

 pronoimced as ^ 7ch ; e.g. ^^■^ir dJcarshan is pronounced dkarkhan. A 

 similar pronunciation is optional in the compound ^'Ef Ish ; e.g. the word 

 (Sams. loc. plur of is pronounced either suvalslno or suvalMm. 

 By some this ^ kli sound of sli is pronounced as a guttural breathing, and not 

 as a guttural check, — something, but not quite, like the Persian ^ Tcli, or 

 the cli in locli. This pronunciation is, however, condemned by the best 

 pandits. The compound letter ^ 7t'sZi is pronounced like cTicJili, which is 

 occasionally wi'itten for it by the vulgar ; e.g. is so written, and is 

 pronounced as Lalcshmi by pm-ists, but is commonly written and pronounced 

 ^r^fift Lacliclilimx. The compound ^ slip is peculiar. It is pronounced 

 something like hfp; e.g. pushp "a flower" is pronounced puhfp. 



