Page 55 - Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (English)
P. 55
Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide
Used within this book is a transliteration
system widely accepted by scholars to indicate
standard pronunciation of Sanskrit.
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.
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