A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1

NOTE ON THE PRONUNCIATION OF

TRANSLITERATED SANSKRIT

AND PĀLI WORDS

The vowels are pronounced almost exactly as they are in Italian, with two exceptions: the sound of a is similar to the o in "bond" or the u in "but," and ā is like the a in "army." The consonants are pronounced as they are in English, with the following exceptions:

• c is pronounced like the ch in "church."
• ṭ, ḍ, and ṇ are retroflex consonants original: "cerebrals"; these are sounds made by curling the tongue back to touch the roof of the mouth. English "t", "d", and "n" are close approximations..
• t, d, and n are dental consonants These are "pure" dentals, made by touching the tip of the tongue directly against the upper teeth..
• kh, gh, ch, jh, ṭh, ḍh, th, dh, ph, and bh are "aspirated" sounds—the simple consonant sound followed immediately by a puff of air (aspiration).
• ñ is pronounced like the gn in French Similar to the "ny" sound in the English word "canyon.".
• ṛ is usually pronounced as "ri."
• ś and ṣ are both pronounced like "sh."