Page 42 - OPIHI (English)

Guide to Diacritical Marks

Within this book a standard transliteration system accepted by scholars to
indicate standard pronunciation of Sanskrit is used.
Long vowels are indicated by a line above the letter representing it.
The short vowel a is pronounced like the u in but, long ä as in far. Short i
is pronounced as in win, long é as in pique; short u as in bull, long ü as in
rule.
The vowel å is pronounced like the ri in rim; e and ai as in they; o and au
as in go.
The anusvära (à), a pure nasal sound, is pronounced as in the French
word bon; the visarga (ù), a strong aspirate, like a final h sound. At the end
of a couplet aù is pronounced aha, iù pronounced ihi, and so on.
The guttural consonants k, kh, g, gh, and ì are pronounced from the throat
in much the same manner as in English—k as in kite, kh as in pack-horse,
g as in give, gh as in bighearted, and ì as in sing.
The palatal consonants c, ch, j, jh, and ï are pronounced: c as in chair, ch
as in French horn, j as in joy, jh as in bridgehead, and ï as in canyon.
The retroflex consonants ö, öh, ò, òh, and ë are pronounced with the tip
of the tongue turned up and drawn back against the dome of the palate—ö
as in tub, öh as in right-hand, ò as in demigod, òh as in glad heart, and ë as
in neem.
The dental consonants t, th, d, dh and n are pronounced in the same
manner as the celebrals, but with the tip of the tongue against the inside
of the upper teeth.
The labial consonants p, ph, b, bh, and m are pronounced with the lips—p
as in pine, ph as in uphill, b as in boon, bh as in grab hold, and m as in
man.
The semivowels y, r, l, and v are pronounced as in yet, rain, love, and vow,
respectively.
The sibilants s, ñ, and ç are pronounced: s as in sun; ñ as in shine, but with
the tip of the tongue turned up and drawn back against the dome of the
palate; and ç as in shine but the tip of the tongue against the inside of the
upper teeth.

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