Page 105 - GOTIL (ENG) Sample

Sanskrit/Bengali Pronunciation Guide

Used within this book is a standard transliteration system
accepted by scholars that approximates Sanskrit sounds.
Most Bengali words transliterated herein are also rendered
according to this system (employed in the publications of
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda),
even though the pronunciation of some Bengali letters
differs significantly from their Sanskrit equivalents.
Some Bengali words have been rendered approximately
phonetically, without diactrical marks.

In both Sanskrit and Bengali, long vowels are indicated
by a line above the letter representing it.

In Sanskrit, the short vowel a is pronounced like the u in
trust, long ā as in sari. Short i is pronounced as in bliss, long
ī as in unique; short u as in flute, long ū like the oo in moo.

The vowel ṛ is pronounced like the ri in Krishna; e as in
whey or sometimes as in pen; ai as in parfait; o and au as
in glow and beau.
The anusvāra (ṁ), a pure nasal sound, is pronounced as in
the French word bon; the visarga (ḥ), a strong aspirate, like
a final h sound. At the end of a couplet, aḥ is pronounced
aha, iḥ pronounced ihi, etc.

The guttural consonants k, kh, g, gh, and ṅ are pronounced
from the throat in much the same manner as in English

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