Guide to Sanskrit Pronunciation

Throughout the centuries, the Sanskrit language has been written in a
variety of alphabets. The mode of writing most widely used throughout
India, however, is called devandgari, which means, literally, the writing
used in ‘‘the cities of the demigods.”’ The devandgarialphabet consists of
forty-eight characters, including thirteen vowels and thirty-five conso-
nants. Ancient Sanskrit grammarians arranged the alphabet according to
practical linguistic principles, and this order has been accepted by all
Western scholars. The system of transliteration used in this book con-
forms to a system that scholars in the last fifty years have accepted to in-
dicate the pronunciation of each Sanskrit sound.

The short vowel a is pronounced like the u in but, long 4 like the a in
far, and short i like the i in pin. Long 1 is pronounced as in pique, short u
as in pull, and long @ as in rule. The vowel r is pronounced like the ri in
rim. The vowel e is pronounced as in they, ai as in aisle, o as in go, and
au as in how. The anusvdra (m), which is a pure nasal, is pronounced like
the n in the French word bon, and visarga (h), which is a strong aspirate,
is pronounced as a final h sound. Thus ah is pronounced like aha, and ih
like ihi.

The guttural consonants—k, kh, g, gh, and h—are pronounced from
the throat in much the same manner as in English. K is pronounced as in
kite, kh as in Eckhart, g as in give, gh as in dig-hard, and nas in sing.
The palatal consonants—c, ch, j, jh, and fi—are pronounced from the
palate with the middle of the tongue. C is pronounced as in chair, ch as in
staunch-heart, j as in joy, jh as in hedgehog, and fi as in canyon. The
cerebral consonants—t, th, d, dh, and n—are pronounced with the tip of
the tongue turned up and drawn back against the dome of the palate. T is
pronounced as in tub, th as in light-heart, d as in dove, dh as in red-hot,
and n as in nut. The dental consonants—t, th, d, dh, and n—are pro-
nounced in the same manner as the cerebrals, but with the forepart of the
tongue against the teeth. The labial consonants—p, ph, b, bh, and m—
are pronounced with the lips. P is pronounced asin pine, ph as in uphill,
bas in bird, bh as in rub-hard, and m as in mother. The semivowels—y,
r, 1, and v—are pronounced as in yes, run, light, and vine respectively.
The sibilants §, s, and s—are pronounced, respectively, as in the German
word sprechen and the English words shine and sun. The letter h is pro-
nounced as in home.

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