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TABLE OF PRONUNCIATION
The Consonants
k c t
ñ
y
Ś
Gutturals: Palatals: Linguals: Dentals: Labials: Aspirate: Visarga: Anusvāra:
kh ch th th ph
g j d d b
gli jh jh dh dh bh
p
m
v
m
H combined with another consonant is always aspirated and audible; for example, th is pronounced as in boathook, ph as in haphazard, dh as in madhouse, and bh as in abhor.
The guttural series are the ordinary European k-and g-sounds and their aspirates (kh and gh), with a nasal n, which is pronounced as ng in singing.
In the palatal series, c is pronounced about like ch in church (Sanskrit ch, consequently, sounds like church-house) and i about as in judge. The nasal, s, is like ñ in Spanish señor. (An exception is jñā, which pronounced by a modern Hindu sounds like gyah, with hard g.) The palatal semi-vowel, y, is about as in English, and ś, the sibilant, approximately sh.
Linguals are gentler sounds than dentals, pronounced with the tip of the tongue bent back and placed against the roof of the mouth instead of against the teeth. The r is untrilled. The ș is a kind of sh-sound.
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