National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

154   DETAIL OF THE ALPHABET USED.

In the following details I add a few remarks also about such consonants as are only found in my spelling with native letters, without being introduced into our transcription.

"b, d, f, g, h, k, 1, m, n, o, p, r, s, t," are pronounced as in German and English (the variations occurring in the pronunciation of "g" and "h" in English excepted).

"ch" sounds as in English (church) ; in a detailed alphabet also " chh" must be introduced, but in most cases the combination is not distinguishable in the ordinary pronunciation. " d" and "dh" as cerebrals, which might, when written, be distinguished by a dot under the "d," have a sound which audibly differs from "d" and "dh" when the tongue is placed against the central part of the palate.

The cerebral "d" often becomes "r" in Hindostâni, as in Ajmfr, Gârh, from the Sanskrit words Ajmfdha and Gâdha.—The harsh Arabic "g" is a mere guttural modification of the sound "g," and is found nearly always combined with an aspirate, thus presenting itself generally as "gh."

"h" is an audible aspirate except in ch, sh, kh. The Tibetan soft aspiration I transcribe by the spiritus lenis.

The aspiration of the consonants we have marked wherever we found it audibly pronounced as such. In those few cases where we discovered the natives had gradually ceased to use it in speaking, we also discontinued it. As an instance may be mentioned the aspirated "Ts" in the Tibetan word "Tso" (lake), properly "Ts ho;" "chh" is also an instance of a similar combination.

The fricative "h," which was introduced into Hindostâni from the Arabic, and remains limited to Arabic words, is only marked by the respective native letter.' "j," as in English (just).

"kh," as "eh" in German (hoch). It is frequently met with in Hindostâni words derived from the Arabic, but its pronunciation as the Greek "x" (and German "eh") has generally disappeared in India, and "k" is substituted. In Turkish words and in several of the native Indian languages the sound is still preserved. The guttural "k" is only used in our words spelt with native letters.

"lh" is met with only in Tibetan; it is also frequently written "hl" by Tibetan scholars.

Concerning the nature of aspiration and its comparison with the spiritus lenis, the Arabic "ain," and the

fricative Arabic "ha," see Lepsius's Standard Alphabet, Germ. edit., p. 35.