Page 68 - Śrī Pañcatantra - Eng

326 Pronunciation Guide

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 perfect, ph as in uphold, b as in boon, bh as in
subhead, and m as in mantra.

The semivowels y, r, l, and v are pronounced as in yoga, respect,
love, and vow.

The sibilants s, ṣ, and ś are pronounced: s as in soul, ṣ as in shine
but with the tip of the tongue turned up and drawn back against
the dome of the palate, and ś as in shine but the tip of the tongue
against the inside of the upper teeth.
Bengali and Oriya sounds that are pronounced differently from
Sanskrit are:

Short a is pronounced like the o in the Southern British
pronunciation of hot; ai like the oy in boy. In Bengali, the final a
of many words is silent.

When between two vowels, ḍ is pronounced similarly to the r in
red; ph is pronounced as f; v is pronounced as b, except after ś, ṣ,
or s, when it becomes almost silent.

M is pronounced as in mantra, except after ś, ṣ, s, and kṣ, in which
cases it becomes almost silent, and after ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, t, th, d, dha,
when it becomes almost silent and doubles the consonant it follows
(e.g., padma is pronounced approximately padda).

When at the beginning of a word, and after l and r, y is pronounced
as j. After other consonants, it becomes almost silent and doubles
the consonant it follows (e.g., anya is approximately pronounced
anna). After vowels it is pronounced as in prayer.

Ś, ṣ, and s are each pronounced as in she; kṣa as kha.