Telugu Script Book | sarvabhashin
April 27, 2017 | Author: Arvind Iyengar | Category: N/A
Short Description
Learn to read & write Telugu...
Description
t̪ elʊɡu
Telugu
sarvabhāshin
Script
The Telugu letters and words described in this book are each accompanied by a pronunciation key in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Please refer to these IPA keys for the exact pronunciation of a Telugu letter or word. The IPA is a scientific notation used for accurately transcribing the sounds of most human languages. More about the IPA can be found at http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipa . The similarities described in this book between the pronunciations of Telugu letters and ‘corresponding’ English letters are only guidelines and should be considered as such.
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k
This letter has a sound similar to k
in
4
skip
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ɡ
This letter has a sound similar to g
in
5
go
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These are the letters we’ve just seen
k
ɡ
6
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p
This letter has a sound similar to p
in
speak
7
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b
This letter has a sound similar to b
in
8
bat
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These are the letters we’ve seen so far
k
ɡ
p
b
9
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ʨ
This letter has a sound similar to tch
in
catch
10
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ʥ
This letter has a sound similar to dge
in
badge
11
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These are the letters we’ve seen so far
k
ɡ
p
b
ʨ
ʥ
The sounds of these letters are all called consonants
12
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Here’s a vowel sound
ɐ This vowel sounds similar to u
in
13
cut
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Look at these letters
kɐ
ɡɐ
క
గ
ప
బ
చ
జ
pɐ
bɐ
ʨɐ
ʥɐ
The sounds of these letters are made up of a consonant and a vowel Notice how the letters look slightly different from their original shape?
14
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In short –
k
kɐ
క ɡ
ɡɐ
గ p
b
pɐ
-
◌్
ʨ
=
ప bɐ
బ ʨɐ
చ ʥ
ʥɐ
జ 15
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Here’s another vowel
i This vowelsounds similar to i
in
pin
This vowel has a special sign of its own –
◌ి
16
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Now look at these ‘combo’ letters, each having the sound of a consonant plus a vowel
ki
ɡi
pi
bi
ʨi
ʥi
Again, notice the difference from the original shape of the ‘basic’ letter?
17
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In short –
k
ki
ɡ
ɡi
p
pi
b
-
◌్
+
◌ి
=
bi
ʨ
ʨi
ʥ
ʥi
18
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And another vowel
u This vowel sounds similar to u
in
bull
This vowel, too, has a special sign of its own –
◌ు
19
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And some new combo letters, with their shape slightly changed from the original –
ku
ɡu
pu
bu
ʨu
ʥu
20
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And again, in short – k
ku
ɡ
ɡu
p
pu
b
-
◌్
+
◌ు
=
bu
ʨ
ʨu
ʥ
ʥu
Get the idea?!
21
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Notice the slightly different shapes of these letters, compared to the others
pu
ʥu
22
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These are all the various ‘basic’ and ‘combo’ letters we’ve seen thus far
k
kɐ
ki
ku
ɡi
ɡu
pi
pu
bi
bu
ʨi
ʨu
ʥi
ʥu
క ɡ
ɡɐ
గ p
pɐ
ప b
bɐ
బ ʨ
ʨɐ
చ ʥ
ʥɐ
జ 23
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These letters look somewhat similar –
ʥ
ʥɐ
ʥi
ʥu
bi
bu
జ b
bɐ
బ
24
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When two letters come one after the other and the first one has no vowel sound, that is, it is a
◌్ letter,
then the second letter is written in a ‘mini’ version below the first one
k
ʨɐ
+ p
చ
b
=
ɡi
+ ʥ
kʨɐ
+ +
క pɡi
= bu
ʥ
25
= =
ʥbu
bʥ
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Note that in such cases, any vowel or other signs originally belonging to the second letter are written attached to the first letter –
k
ʨɐ
+ p
ʥ
+ +
b
చ ɡi
bu
kʨɐ
= = =
ʥ
+
pɡi
ʥbu
bʥ
=
It’s as if the first and the second letter together form a new ‘joint’ letter
26
క
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Here are the mini versions of all the letters we’ve seen so far When the second letter has no vowel – k
k
్ ɡ
ɡ
్ p
◌్ +
p
=
b
ʨ
్ b
్ ʨ
్ ʥ
ʥ
్ 27
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When the second letter has the vowel ɐ – kɐ
kɐ
క
◌్ +
◌
ɡɐ
ɡɐ
గ
◌
pɐ
pɐ
ప bɐ
బ ʨɐ
=
◌ bɐ
◌ ʨɐ
చ
◌
ʥɐ
ʥɐ
జ
◌
28
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When the second letter has the vowel i – ki
ki
◌ి ɡi
ɡi
◌ి pi
◌్ +
pi
=
bi
ʨi
◌ి bi
◌ి ʨi
◌ి ʥi
ʥi
◌ి 29
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And when the second letter has the vowel u – ku
ku
◌ు ɡu
ɡu
◌ు pu
◌్ +
bu
ʨu
pu
=
◌ు bu
◌ు ʨu
◌ు ʥu
ʥu
◌ు 30
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To sum up, the mini versions are special forms that appear after a letter having
◌్
These mini versions can occur in the middle or at the end of a word, but never at the beginning
31
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j
This letter has a sound similar to y
in
yo-yo
32
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r
This letter has a sound similar to r
in
Italian Roma
This is a ‘rolled’ /r/, as in Spanish or Italian
33
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l
This letter has a sound similar to l
in
34
lad
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ʋ
This letter has a sound similar to v
in
victory
35
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These are the letters we’ve just seen
j
r
l
ʋ
36
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This is how these letters look, when the ɐ sound is added
jɐ
rɐ
య
ర
ల
వ
lɐ
ʋɐ
37
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This is how these letters look, when the i sound is added
ji
ri
li
ʋi
38
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Notice the slightly different shapes of these letters, compared to the others
ji
ri
39
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Not much between these two
li
ʋi
40
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This is how these letters look, when the u sound is added
ju
ru
lu
ʋu
41
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Notice the slightly different shape of this letter, compared to the others
ʋu
42
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
j
jɐ
ji
ju
ri
ru
li
lu
ʋi
ʋu
య r
rɐ
ర l
ʋ
lɐ
ల ʋɐ
వ
43
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These letters look very similar –
p
pɐ
pi
pu
ʋi
ʋu
ప ʋ
ʋɐ
వ
44
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These combo letters look somewhat similar –
jɐ
ju
య Remember that ju has an extra curl at the end
45
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Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen When the second letter has no vowel –
j
j
్ r
◌్ +
r
=
l
ʋ
్ l
్ ʋ
్ 46
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When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
jɐ
jɐ
య
◌
rɐ
◌్ +
rɐ
ర
=
lɐ
ల ʋɐ
lɐ
◌ ʋɐ
వ
◌ 47
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When the second letter has the vowel i –
ji
ji
◌ి ri
◌్ +
ri
=
li
ʋi
ి li
◌ి ʋi
◌ి 48
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And when the second letter has the vowel u –
ju
ju
◌ు ru
◌్ +
ru
=
lu
ʋu
ు lu
◌ు ʋu
◌ు 49
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Note that most of the mini versions we’ve just seen look quite different from their ‘full’ versions –
jɐ
య ◌ rɐ
ర lɐ
ల
◌
50
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These two mini versions look like mirror images of each other
kɐ
◌ jɐ
◌ 51
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These mini versions look somewhat similar –
pɐ
◌ ʋɐ
◌ 52
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These are some actual Telugu words Can you read them?
వక
చ
గ
బ గర ప చర
క ల
53
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Here are their pronunciations and meanings juʋəkɐ 1
ʨɐrʨi
వక
చ
ɡɐbbu
గ
youth (adjective)
church
stink, stench
bɐlli
ɡurru
ʥuʋʋi
snore, growl
White Fig, ficus virens
బ lizard
biɡɡərɐ1
puʋʋu
గర
flower pɐriʨərjɐ
loudly 1
kukkəpɪllɐ1
ప చర
క ల
service
puppy
Some pronunciation keys above have been marked with a superscript 1 In these keys, ə is a short or ‘lazily pronounced’ version of ɐ and ɪ is a short or lazily pronounced version of i For now, just assume ə=ɐ ɪ=i
54
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s
This letter has a sound similar to s
in
55
sit
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ɕ
This letter has a sound similar to sh
in
ship
Some people pronounce this letter similar to s
in
56
sit
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ɦ
This letter has a sound similar to h
in
57
hat
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These are the letters we’ve just seen
s
ɕ
ɦ
58
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ, i and u
sɐ
స si
su
ɕɐ
ɦɐ
శ హ ɕi
ɦi
ɕu
ɦu
59
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
s
sɐ
si
su
ɕi
ɕu
ɦi
ɦu
స ɕ
ɕɐ
శ ɦ
ɦɐ
హ
60
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These letters look somewhat similar –
p
pɐ
pi
pu
si
su
ɦi
ɦu
ప s
sɐ
స ɦ
ɦɐ
హ
61
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These sets of letters look particularly similar
p
pɐ
pi
pu
ɦi
ɦu
ప ɦ
ɦɐ
హ Notice the difference in shapes between pu and ɦu though
pu
ɦu
62
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Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen When the second letter has no vowel –
s
s
◌ ్
◌్ +
ɕ
ɕ
= ◌్ ɦ
ɦ
◌్
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When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
sɐ
స
sɐ
◌
ɕɐ
ɕɐ
ɦɐ
ɦɐ
◌్ + శ = ◌ హ
64
◌
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When the second letter has the vowel i –
si
si
◌ి ◌్ +
ɕi
ɦi
ɕi
= ◌ి ɦi
◌ి
65
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And when the second letter has the vowel u –
su
su
◌ు ◌్ +
ɕu
ɦu
ɕu
= ◌ు ɦu
◌ు
66
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Some actual Telugu words with these letters we’ve just seen
స
శ హ స
గ
ప
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How many correct?
sɐri
ɕɐɕi
స
శ
OK, all right
moon
ɕiɕuʋu
ɦɐkku
హ infant
right, privilege
ɦiʥri
ɦrɐsʋɐ
స Hijri, the Islamic calendar
short
siɡɡəri
ʥuɡʊpsɐ
గ
ప
shy
1
disgust
ʊ is a short or lazily pronounced version of u For now, just assume ʊ = u
68
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n̪
This letter has a sound similar to’ n
in
tenth
To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue touches the back of your front teeth
69
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m
This letter has a sound similar to m
in
mother
70
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These are the basic letters we’ve just seen
n̪
m
71
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ, i and u
n̪ ɐ
mɐ
న
మ
n̪ u
mu
n̪ i
mi
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
n̪
n̪ ɐ
n̪ i
n̪ u
mi
mu
న m
mɐ
మ
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These sets of letters look very similar –
s
n̪
sɐ
స n̪ ɐ
si
su
n̪ i
n̪ u
న As do these –
ʋ
m
ʋɐ
వ mɐ
ʋi
ʋu
mi
mu
మ Notice the difference in shapes between ʋu and mu though 74
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All these look somewhat similar –
p
ɦ
ʋ
pɐ
ప ɦɐ
హ ʋɐ
pi
pu
ɦi
ɦu
ʋi
ʋu
mi
mu
వ m
mɐ
మ
75
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Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen When the second letter has no vowel –
n̪
◌్ +
m
n̪
=
◌ ్ m
◌ ్
When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
n̪ ɐ
◌్ +
mɐ
76
n̪ ɐ
=
◌ mɐ
◌
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When the second letter has the vowel i –
n̪ i
◌్ +
mi
n̪ i
=
◌ి mi
◌ి
And when the second letter has the vowel u –
n̪ u
◌్ +
mu
77
n̪ u
=
◌ు mu
◌ు
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Note that most of the mini versions we’ve just seen look quite different from their ‘full’ versions –
n̪ ɐ
న
◌ mɐ
మ
◌
78
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Some Telugu words with these letters we’ve just seen
మన
మన
ప హ
చర
క హ
నరన బ
79
వచన
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Here’s how you pronounce them, and what they mean
mɐn̪ əmu
mɐn̪ əsu
మన
మన
we (including listener)
mind
pɐn̪ n̪ u
ʨin̪ n̪ i
ప tooth
tiny
brɐɦmɐ
ʨɐrməmu
హ
చర
Brahma, a Hindu god
skin
miksər
pun̪ ərʥən̪ mɐ
క
నరన
mixer, blender
rebirth
ɕukrəɡrəɦəmu
bɐɦʊʋəʨən̪ əmu
హ
బ
Venus (planet)
వచన plural
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Remember the mini version rule? Let’s extend it slightly. When two or more letters come one after the other and all before the last have no vowel sound, that is, they are all
◌్ letters,
then all letters after the first one are written in their respective ‘mini’ versions below the first one
l
k
jɐ
+ ɕ
+
m
+ య = ల ʨ
+
b
+ m
+
lkjɐ
ʋi
ru
+ p
=
+ 81
ɕʨʋi
mbru
= s
=
mps
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Again, remember that any vowel or other signs originally belonging to the last letter are written attached to the first letter –
l
k
jɐ
+ ɕ
m
lkjɐ
+ య = ల ʨ
+ +
m
b
+ +
p
+
ʋi
ru
= =
s
+
mbru
mps
=
So, all these letters in question together form a new ‘joint’ letter
82
ɕʨʋi
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Here’s a new vowel, along with its sign
e
◌ె
This vowel sounds similar to e
in
83
pen
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Now look at these combo letters, each having the sound of a consonant plus the e vowel
ke
ɡe
pe
be
ʨe
ʥe
je
re
84
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And some more combo letters, with this new vowel
le
ʋe
se
ɕe
ɦe
n̪ e
me
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Don’t get confused between
◌ె and ◌్
ke
k
ɡe
ɡ
pe
p
be
b
ʨe
ʨ
ʥe
ʥ
je
j
re
r
le
l
ʋe
ʋ
se
s
ɕe
ɕ
n̪ e
n̪
me
m
ɦe
ɦ
The two signs face in opposite directions! 86
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Here’s a few words with our new vowel
క క
గ
ల ల
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And here’s how you say them, and what they mean
rekkɐ
ʥerri
క wing
centipede
kɐn̪ n̪ e
kuppɐ
క maiden
bottle
ɦeʨʨu
puʨʨe
increase
skull
ɡɐrise
ɕeləʋu
గ
ల
granary
holiday
jemen̪
belləmu
ల Yemen, an Arab country
jaggery
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Here’s another vowel, along with its sign
o
◌ొ
This vowel sounds similar to o
in but shorter in length
89
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Now look at these combo letters, each having the sound of a consonant plus the o vowel
ko
ɡo
po
bo
ʨo
ʥo
jo
ro
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And some more combo letters, with this new vowel
lo
ʋo
so
ɕo
ɦo
n̪ o
mo
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Some letters have a rebellious streak in them, refusing to conform to the mainstream
On these letters, the sign for o is made up of the sign for e plus the sign for u
jo
mo
92
◌ు
◌ె
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In other words –
ju
je
jo
mu
me
mo
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Others are masters of camouflage
p
po
ʋ
ʋo
s
so
n̪
n̪ o
Look for patterns in the shapes of these various combo letters 94
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And some new words with our new vowel
క
క
న బ బ
య
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Here are their pronunciations and meanings
mokkɐ
jokkɐ
క
క
shoot, young plant
of
pojji
ɡojji
hearth
pit, ditch
ʨoʨʨu
ʥon̪ n̪ ɐ
న enter
millet
n̪ oppi
sobəɡu
బ pain
beauty
kobbəri
ɦojəlu
బ
య
copra
grace
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t̪
This letter has a sound similar to t
in
Spanish toro
To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue touches the back of your front teeth
97
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d̪
This letter has a sound similar to d
in
Spanish diez
To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue touches the back of your front teeth
98
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These are the basic letters we’ve just seen
t̪
d̪
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ, i and u
t̪ ɐ
d̪ ɐ
త
ద
t̪ i
d̪ i
t̪ u
d̪ u
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for e and o
t̪ e
d̪ e
t̪ o
d̪ o
101
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
t̪
t̪ ɐ
t̪ i
t̪ u
t̪ e
t̪ o
d̪ i
d̪ u
d̪ e
d̪ o
త d̪
d̪ ɐ
ద Notice the slightly different shape of
d̪ i
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Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen Let’s just take the simplest example When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
◌్ +
t̪ ɐ
t̪ ɐ
త
◌
d̪ ɐ
ద
=
Note that the mini version of t̪ Looks quite different from its ‘full’ version –
t̪ ɐ
త
◌ 103
d̪ ɐ
◌
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Can you read these Telugu words?
శ
ద
చ
త గ
శబ
త
వ
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How’d you fare?
diɕɐ
ped̪ d̪ ɐ
శ
ద
direction
big
d̪ on̪ n̪ e
t̪ elʊɡu
plate made of dry leaves
Telugu
ʨɐd̪ ʊʋu
ʨit̪ t̪ əmu
చ
త
study, reading
mind
t̪ oɡəru
ɕɐbd̪ əmu
గ
శబ
red, scarlet
noise, sound
mut̪ jəmu
ʋjɐkt̪ i
త
వ
pearl
person
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ʈ
This letter has a sound similar to t
in
ash tray
To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue curls right back and touches the roof of your mouth
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ɖ
This letter has a sound similar to d
in
rushed
To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue curls right back and touches the roof of your mouth
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ɽ
Sometimes, this letter also has a sound similar to tt dd r
in in in
the American pronunciation of better the American pronunciation of ladder Spanish pero
but with the tongue curled further back and ‘flapping’ against the roof of the mouth
This particular sound occurs only when the letter appears in certain positions in a word, and will be marked as such in the pronunciation key
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These are the basic letters we’ve just seen
ʈ
ɖ
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ, i and u
ʈɐ
ɖɐ
ట
డ
ʈi
ɖi
ʈu
ɖu
110
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for e and o
ʈe
ɖe
ʈo
ɖo
111
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
ʈ
ʈɐ
ʈi
ʈu
ʈe
ʈo
ɖi
ɖu
ɖe
ɖo
ట ɖ
ɖɐ
డ
112
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Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen Let’s just take the simplest example
When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
◌్ +
ʈɐ
ʈɐ
ట
◌
ɖɐ
డ
113
=
ɖɐ
◌
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These sets of letters look similar –
d̪
ɖ
d̪ ɐ
ద ɖɐ
d̪ i
d̪ u
d̪ e
d̪ o
ɖi
ɖu
ɖe
ɖo
డ Watch out for d̪ i and ɖi Their mini versions too are similar –
d̪ ɐ
ɖɐ
◌
◌ 114
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And some Telugu words with these new letters
క
ట
ల
డ
త
గ
ప
త మ
ద
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All correct?
ɖekkɐ
puʈʈɐ
క
ట
hoof
anthill
ɖollɐ
biɖɖɐ
ల
డ
hollow
child
t̪ ɐʈʈu
ɡɐrɪʈe
త
గ
measles
ladle
pɐɽu
t̪ ɐɽi
ప
త
fall
moisture
moʈimɐ
med̪ əɽu
మ
ద
pimple, acne
brain
116
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Remember this letter?
k
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
kʰ
It has a sound similar to ck-h
in
brick-house
117
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Remember this letter?
ɡ
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
ɡʱ
It has a sound similar to ggh
in
egghead
118
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Remember this letter?
p
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
pʰ
It has a sound similar to ph
in
uphold
119
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Remember this letter?
b
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
bʱ
It has a sound similar to bh
in
clubhouse
120
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Remember this letter?
ʨ
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
ʨʰ
It has a sound similar to ch-h
in
church-house
121
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Remember this letter?
ʥ
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
ʥʱ
It has a sound similar to dgeh
in
badgeholder
122
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These are the basic letters we’ve just seen
kʰ
ɡʱ
pʰ
bʱ
ʨʰ
ʥʱ
123
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ
kʰɐ
ɡʱɐ
ఖ
ఘ
pʰɐ
bʱɐ
ఫ
భ
ʨʰɐ
ʥʱɐ
ఛ
ఝ 124
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for i
kʰi
ɡʱi
pʰi
bʱi
ʨʰi
ʥʱi
125
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for u
kʰu
ɡʱu
pʰu
bʱu
ʨʰu
ʥʱʊ
126
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for e
kʰe
ɡʱe
pʰe
bʱe
ʨʰe
ʥʱe
127
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for o
kʰo
ɡʱo
pʰo
bʱo
ʨʰo
ʥʱo
128
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
kʰ
ɡʱ
kʰɐ
ఖ ɡʱɐ
kʰi
kʰu
kʰe
kʰo
ɡʱi
ɡʱu
ɡʱe
ɡʱo
pʰi
pʰu
pʰe
pʰo
bʱi
bʱu
bʱe
bʱo
ఘ pʰ
bʱ
pʰɐ
ఫ bʱɐ
భ And the list goes on…
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And…
ʨʰ
ʨʰɐ
ʨʰi
ʨʰu
ʨʰe
ఛ ʥʱ
ʥʱu
ʥʱɐ
ఝ ʥʱe
...done!
130
ʥʱi
ʥʱo
ʨʰo
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All of these ‘puff-of-air’ letters have a little ‘pendulum’ at the bottom –
kʰ
ɡʱ
pʰ
bʱ
ʨʰ
ʥʱ
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In some cases, this pendulum is the only thing that differentiates these puff-of-air letters from the ones with no puff of air –
p
pʰ
b
bʱ
ʨ
ʨʰ
These two combo letters have one more difference other than the pendulum, namely the tick at the upper right
bɐ
bʱɐ
బ
భ 132
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These sets of letters lookvery similar –
ʋ
ʋɐ
ʋi
ʋu
ʋe
ʋo
pi
pu
pe
po
వ p
pɐ
ప pʰ
pʰɐ
pʰi
pʰu
pʰe
pʰo
ɡʱi
ɡʱu
ɡʱe
ɡʱo
ఫ ɡʱ
ɡʱɐ
ఘ 133
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Notice how ʋi looks slightly different from other combo letters for i
ʋi
pi
pʰi
134
ɡʱi
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Also notice how ɡʱu and ɡʱo look slightly different from the rest –
ɡʱu
ɡʱo
ʋu
ʋo
pu
po
pʰu
pʰo
135
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In fact, ɡʱo and ʥʱo are part of the rebel club we saw earlier –
ju
je
jo
mu
me
mo
ɡʱu
ɡʱe
ɡʱo
ʥʱu
ʥʱe
ʥʱo
136
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These sets of letters looksimilar –
r
rɐ
ri
ru
re
ro
ji
ju
je
jo
ʥʱi
ʥʱu
ʥʱe
ʥʱo
ర j
jɐ
య ʥʱ
ʥʱɐ
ఝ
137
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These combo letters look somewhat similar –
ru
jɐ
ʥʱɐ
య
ఝ
Remember that ʥʱu has an extra curl at the end –
ʥʱɐ
ʥʱu
ఝ and that ʥʱo looks like ʥʱu with an
ʥʱu
◌ె sign ʥʱo
138
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Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen Let’s just take the simplest example When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
◌్
+
kʰɐ
kʰɐ
ఖ
◌
ɡʱɐ
ɡʱɐ
ఘ
◌
pʰɐ
ఫ bʱɐ
భ More to come…
139
=
pʰɐ
◌ bʱɐ
◌
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And here are the remaining ones
◌్
+
ʨʰɐ
ʨʰɐ
ఛ
◌
ʥʱɐ
ఝ
140
=
ʥʱɐ
◌
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Some Telugu words with the new letters we’ve just seen
ఫల
ఝ
త
ఛ
భ
ఖ ల మ
సభ త
ఝల
141
ఘటక
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Full marks?
pʰɐləmu
ఫల
ʥʱɐri
likʰɪt̪ ɐ
ఝ
త
fruit
stream, rivulet
written, in writing
ʨʰɐt̪ rəmu
bʱɐkt̪ i
mukʰjɐ
ఛ
భ
ఖ
umbrella
devotion
main
ʨʰid̪ rəmu
pʰilm
lɐɡʱɪmu
ల మ pore, opening
movie
sublimity
sɐbʱjət̪ ɐ
ʥʱɐlləri
ɡʱɐʈəkəmu
సభ త politeness, manners
ఝల cymbal
142
ఘటక unit
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Remember this letter?
t̪
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
t̪ ʰ
It has a sound similar to th-h
in
bath-house
143
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Remember this letter?
d̪
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
d̪ ʱ
It has a sound similar to dh
in
adhere
144
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These are thebasic letters we’ve just seen –
t̪ ʰ
d̪ ʱ
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ, i and u
t̪ ʰɐ
d̪ ʱɐ
థ
ధ
t̪ ʰu
d̪ ʱu
t̪ ʰi
d̪ ʱi
146
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for e and o
t̪ ʰe
d̪ ʱe
t̪ ʰo
d̪ ʱo
147
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
t̪ ʰ
t̪ ʰɐ
t̪ ʰi
t̪ ʰu
t̪ ʰe
t̪ ʰo
d̪ ʱi
d̪ ʱu
d̪ ʱe
d̪ ʱo
థ d̪ ʱ
d̪ ʱɐ
ధ Note the slightly different shape of these letters from other i letters
t̪ ʰi
d̪ ʱi
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Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
◌్ +
t̪ ʰɐ
t̪ ʰɐ
థ
◌
d̪ ʱɐ
ధ
149
=
d̪ ʱɐ
◌
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These sets of letters look similar –
d̪
ɖ
d̪ ɐ
ద ɖɐ
d̪ i
d̪ u
d̪ e
d̪ o
ɖi
ɖu
ɖe
ɖo
t̪ ʰi
t̪ ʰu
t̪ ʰe
t̪ ʰo
d̪ ʱi
d̪ ʱu
d̪ ʱe
d̪ ʱo
డ t̪ ʰ
t̪ ʰɐ
థ d̪ ʱ
d̪ ʱɐ
ధ Watch out for ɖi
and its slightly different shape from other i letters
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All their mini versions too look similar –
d̪ ɐ
◌ ɖɐ
◌ t̪ ʰɐ
◌ d̪ ʱɐ
◌ 151
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The pendulum strikes again –
For d̪ ʱ
t̪ ʰ
d̪ ʱ
థ
ధ
, this is the only thing differentiating it from d̪
d̪
d̪ ʱ
152
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These words aren’t too difficult
ధ వ
తథ
పద
న
153
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Here you go
t̪ it̪ ʰi
st̪ ʰit̪ i
date according to the lunar calendar
status, condition
d̪ ʱʋɐn̪ i
bud̪ d̪ ʱi
ధ tone, note
intelligence
d̪ ʱruʋəmu
t̪ ɐt̪ ʰjəmu
వ
తథ
Earth’s pole
truth, fact
pɐd̪ d̪ ʱət̪ i
mitʰʊn̪ əmu
పద
న
practice, method
the sign Gemini
154
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Remember this letter?
ʈ
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
ʈʰ
It has a sound similar to th
in
penthouse
155
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Remember this letter?
ɖ
The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’
ɖʱ
It has a sound similar to dh
in
madhouse
156
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These are the letters we’ve just seen –
ʈʰ
ɖʱ
157
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ, i and u
ʈʰə
ɖʱə
ఠ
ఢ
ʈʰɪ
ɖʱɪ
ʈʰʊ
ɖʱʊ
158
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for e and o
ʈʰe
ɖʱe
ʈʰo
ɖʱo
159
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
ʈʰ
ɖʱ
ʈʰɐ
ఠ ɖʱɐ
ʈʰi
ʈʰu
ʈʰe
ʈʰo
ɖʱi
ɖʱu
ɖʱe
ɖʱo
ఢ Note the slightly different shape of these letters from other i letters
ʈʰi
ɖʱi
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Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen
When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
◌్ +
ʈʰɐ
ʈʰɐ
ఠ
◌
ɖʱɐ
ఢ
161
=
ɖʱɐ
◌
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These sets of letters look similar –
d̪
d̪ ɐ
d̪ i
d̪ u
d̪ e
d̪ o
ɖi
ɖu
ɖe
ɖo
t̪ ʰi
t̪ ʰu
t̪ ʰe
t̪ ʰo
d̪ ʱi
d̪ ʱu
d̪ ʱe
d̪ ʱo
ɖʱi
ɖʱu
ɖʱe
ɖʱo
ద ɖ
ɖɐ
డ t̪ ʰ
d̪ ʱ
t̪ ʰɐ
థ d̪ ʱɐ
ధ ɖʱ
ɖʱɐ
ఢ 162
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As do all their mini versions –
d̪ ɐ
◌ ɖɐ
◌ t̪ ʰɐ
◌ d̪ ʱɐ
◌ ɖʱɐ
◌ 163
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These sets of letters too look similar –
r
ʈʰ
rɐ
ర ʈʰɐ
ri
ru
re
ro
ʈʰi
ʈʰu
ʈʰe
ʈʰo
ఠ But their mini versions don’t!
rɐ
ʈʰɐ
◌ 164
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Both these sets of letters have a dot in the middle
t̪ ʰ
ʈʰ
t̪ ʰɐ
థ ʈʰɐ
t̪ ʰi
t̪ ʰu
t̪ ʰe
t̪ ʰo
ʈʰi
ʈʰu
ʈʰe
ʈʰo
ఠ As do their mini versions
t̪ ʰɐ
◌ ʈʰɐ
◌ 165
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Here are some Telugu words that have ʈʰ
in various forms
ɦɐʈʰəmu
హఠ obstinacy, stubbornness pɐʈʰən̪ əmu
పఠన reading, learning kɐʈʰɪn̪ əmu
క న
difficult
Unfortunately, many words that use ʈʰ
and ɖʱ
also use letters and signs that we haven’t seen yet
So we’ll come across more words with as we go on
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ɭ
This letter has a sound similar to l l
in in
hold boulder
To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue curls right back and touches the roof of your mouth It sounds similar to
l
but with the tongue curled further back
167
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ʃ
This letter has a sound similar to sh
in
ash tray
To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue curls right back and touches the roof of your mouth
In everyday speech, it’s mostly pronounced the same as
ɕ
168
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These are the letters we’ve just seen –
ɭ
ʃ
169
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ, i and u
ɭɐ
ʃɐ
ɭɪ
ʃɪ
ɭʊ
ʃʊ
170
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And this is how they are modified to make the combo letters for e and o
ɭe
ʃe
ɭo
ʃo
171
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
ɭ
ʃ
ɭɐ
ళ ʃɐ
ɭi
ɭu
ɭe
ɭo
ʃi
ʃu
ʃe
ʃo
ష
172
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And here are their mini versions When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
ɭɐ
◌్ + ʃ
ళ ʃɐ
ష
ɭɐ
=
has a special mini form when it comes after k
kʃɐ
173
◌ ʃɐ
◌
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Sometimes,the sequence
ɭɭ and its combo letters
are written that is, with the mini version
ɭɭ
ɭɭɐ
ɭɭi
ɭɭu
ళ ళ
174
◌ ɭɭe
ɭɭo
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Camouflage at its very best –
ʋ
ʋɐ
ʋi
ʋu
ʋe
ʋo
pi
pu
pe
po
వ p
pɐ
ప pʰ
pʰɐ
pʰi
pʰu
pʰe
pʰo
ɡʱi
ɡʱu
ɡʱe
ɡʱo
ʃi
ʃu
ʃe
ʃo
ఫ ɡʱ
ɡʱɐ
ఘ ʃ
ʃɐ
ష
175
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ʃi falls into the latter category below
ʋi
pi
pʰi
ɡʱi
176
ʃi
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Also notice how the vowel signs for u and o have slightly different shapes in these combo letter sets
ʋu
pu
ɡʱu
po
pʰu
ʃu
pʰo
ʋo
ʃo
ɡʱo
177
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Here are all their mini versions
ʋɐ
◌ pɐ
pʰɐ
◌
◌
ɡʱɐ
ʃɐ
◌
◌
178
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Here we go again
కళ
మ
మ ,మ , ప
కష
,ప
వర
న
ల 179
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Piece of cake?
kɐɭɐ
mɐn̪ ɪʃi
కళ
మ
art
man
mɐɭɭi
ɕiʃjʊɽu
మ ,మ again
pupil, disciple
ʋeɭɭu
kɐʃʈəmu
, ప
కష
to go
difficulty
pɐɭɭemu
ʋɐrʃəmu
,ప
వర
plate, saucer
rain
n̪ ɐkʃət̪ rəmu
lɐkʃmi
న
ల
star, constellation
Lakshmi, a Hindu goddess
180
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ŋ
This letter has a sound similar to ng
in
sing
It is not pronounced like the ng
in
181
finger
http://tiny.cc/sarvabhashin
ɲ
This letter has a sound similar to ni gne ñ
in in in
onion French montagne Spanish España
182
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ɳ
This letter has a sound similar to n
in
wander
To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue curls right back and touches the roof of your mouth
183
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These are the letters we’ve just seen –
ŋ
ɲ
184
ɳ
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This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ, i and u
ŋɐ
ɲɐ
ɳɐ
ఙ ఞ ణ ŋɪ
ɲɪ
ɳɪ
ŋʊ
ɲʊ
ɳʊ
185
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And this is how they are modified to make the combo letters for e and o
ŋe
ɲe
ɳe
ŋo
ɲo
ɳo
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These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen
ŋ
ɲ
ɳ
ŋɐ
ఙ ɲɐ
ఞ ɳɐ
ŋi
ŋu
ŋe
ŋo
ɲi
ɲu
ɲe
ɲo
ɳi
ɳu
ɳe
ɳo
ణ
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Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen Let’s just take the simplest example When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –
ŋɐ
ŋɐ
ఙ
◌
ɲɐ
ɲɐ
ɳɐ
ɳɐ
ణ
◌
◌్ + ఞ = ◌
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These sets of letters look similar
ʥ
ŋ
ʥɐ
జ ŋɐ
ʥi
ʥu
ʥe
ʥo
ŋi
ŋu
ŋe
ŋo
ఙ As do their mini versions
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◌ ŋɐ
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ట ʈɐ looks somewhat like an upside down ణ ɳɐ The other letters in the respective sets are more distinct, though
ʈ
ɳ
ʈɐ
ట ɳɐ
ʈi
ʈu
ʈe
ʈo
ɳi
ɳu
ɳe
ɳo
ణ Their mini versions too are somewhat like mirror images
ʈɐ
ɳɐ
◌
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This letter combo
ʥɲ
is usually pronounced
ɡn That is, as if it were
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Do you notice any similarity in how these letters sound? –
kɐ
kʰɐ
క
ఖ
గ
ఘ
ɡɐ
ɡʱɐ
ŋɐ
ఙ To pronounce all these letters, your tongue touches the back of the roof of your mouth, called the velum
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And what about in these letters? –
ʨɐ
ʨʰɐ
చ
ఛ
ʥɐ
ʥʱɐ
జ
ఝ
ɲɐ
ఞ To pronounce all these letters, your tongue touches the middle part of the roof of the mouth, called the palate Try saying them out loud and concentrate on the position of your tongue
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Some more similar-sounding letters, which we’ve already seen –
ʈɐ
ʈʰɐ
ట
ఠ
ɖɐ
ɖʱɐ
డ
ఢ
ɳɐ
ణ To pronounce all these letters, the tip of your tongue curls back and touches the roof of your mouth Try saying them out loud and concentrate on the position of your tongue
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Yet another bunch of similar-sounding letters
t̪ ɐ
t̪ ʰɐ
త
థ
d̪ ɐ
d̪ ʱɐ
ద
ధ
n̪ ɐ
న To pronounce all these letters, the tip of your tongue touches your front teeth Try saying them out loud and concentrate on the position of your tongue
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And finally, the last batch of similar sounding letters –
pɐ
pʰɐ
ప
ఫ
bɐ
bʱɐ
బ
భ
mɐ
మ To pronounce all these letters, your lips touch each other Try saying them out loud and concentrate on the position of your tongue
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◌ం This sign is a ‘shortcut’ sign for the following letters –
ŋ
ɲ
ɳ
n̪
Its pronunciation depends on what letter comes after it.
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Have a look at these words and their pronunciations–
ɕɐŋkʰəmu
శఙ
శంఖ conch mɐŋɡəɭəmu
మఙళ
మంగళ delight, good fortune ʨɐnʨələmu
చఞ ల
చంచల fickle, playful sɐnʥəjɐ
సఞయ
సంజయ
Sanjaya, a male name
More to come
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kɐɳʈʰjɐ
కణ
కంఠ from the throat, guttural pɐɳɖɪt̪ ɐ
ప త
పం త
scholarly jɐn̪ t̪ rəmu
యన
యం machine, device nɐn̪ d̪ ən̪ ɐ
ననన
నందన Nandana, a male name sɐmpən̪ n̪ ɐ
సమ న
సంపన
wealthy, prosperous sɐmbən̪ d̪ ʱəmu
సమ న
సంబంధ relation, connection 199
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Let’s look at it in a little more detail. In these words,
◌ం is like a shortcut for
ɕɐŋkʰəmu
mɐŋɡəɭəmu
శంఖ In these words,
మంగళ ◌ం is like a shortcut for
kɐɳʈʰjɐ
పం త ◌ం is like a shortcut for
jɐn̪ t̪ rəmu
n̪ –
n̪ ɐn̪ d̪ ən̪ ɐ
యం In these words,
ɳ–
pɐɳɖɪt̪ ɐ
కంఠ In these words,
ŋ–
నందన ◌ం is like a shortcut for
sɐmpən̪ n̪ ɐ
m
sɐmbən̪ d̪ ʱəmu
సంపన
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No, we didn’t forget
In these words,
ɲ
◌ం is like a shortcut for
ʨɐnʨəlɐ
ɲ–
sɐnʥəjɐ
చంచల
సంజయ
However, its pronunciation is not exactly like
ɲ
Instead, it sounds more like a ‘normal’ n, like the n in name
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We can see a pattern over here. If
◌ం occurs before the following letters – k
kʰ
ɡ
then its pronunciation is
ɡʱ
ŋ ʨ
ʨʰ
ʥ
ʥʱ
n ʈ
ʈʰ
ɖ
ɖʱ
ɳ t̪
t̪ ʰ
d̪
d̪ ʱ
n̪ p
pʰ
b
bʱ
m
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Before all other letters, and at the end of a word, its pronunciation is usually
m sɐmjʊkt̪ ɐ
సం
sɐmrəkʃəɳe
క
సంర ణ
joint, united
protection
sɐmləɡn̪ ɐ
sɐmʋət̪ sərəmu
సంలగ
సంవత ర
attached, included
year
ʋɐmɕəmu
ɦɐmsɐ
వంశ
హంస
clan, lineage
swan
simɦəmu
kʰɐɖɡəm
ంహ
ఖడం
lion
sword
The odd exception might exist, but these would usually be rare or obscure words So don’t worry – As far as our nasal shortcut sign is concerned, you’re good to go!
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Great.
Now, an obvious question. What if a word starts with a vowel? How do we write it then?
There’s a slightly different way of doing this –
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If a word starts with a vowel, we use the following letters, instead of vowel signs –
ɐ
i
u
అ ఇ ఉ ʲe
ʷo
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ఎ and ఒ have a slightly different pronunciation ʲe
ఎ
This letter has a sound similar to ye
in
yes
ʷo
ఒ
This letter has a sound similar to wo
in
won’t
but slightly shorter in length
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Our nasal shortcut sign works equally well with these ‘independent’ vowel letters –
అం ఇం ఉం ఎం ఒం Of course, the pronunciation of the sign will vary, depending on what letter follows
Some examples will make this clear
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Here are some words that use independent vowel letters –
ɐrt̪ ʰəm meaning
uŋɡərəm ring (ornament) uɳɖu to be, to exist
అరం
ఉంగరం
ɐkʃərəm letter, alphabet
అ రం
ɐn̪ t̪ əm end
అంతం
iʨʨu give
ఇ
ɐŋɡərəkʃəkʊɽu bodyguard
అంగర
ʲen̪ ɪmɪd̪ i eight
ఎ
illu house
ఇ
ikkəɽɐ here
ఇక డ
iŋɡʊʋə asafoetida ut̪ t̪ ərɐ north
ʲekkəɽɐ where ʷoʈʈu oath
ఉం
ఎక డ ఒ
ఇం వ
ʷokəʈi one
ఒక
ఉతర
ʷoɳʈe camel
ఒం
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Speaking of vowels, here are some more –
ɑː
◌ా
This sign has a sound similar to a
in
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father
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iː
◌ీ This sign has a sound similar to ee
in
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bee
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uː
◌ూ This sign has a sound similar to oo
in
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tool
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eː
◌ే This sign has a sound similar to é
in
French fiancée
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oː
◌ో This sign has a sound similar to o
in
Italian Roma
This sign is written after a letter
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This is how the signs for ɑː, iː, uː, eː and oː are written –
kɑː
kiː
kuː
keː
koː
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Here are all the vowels we’ve seen so far, attached to the letter
kɐ
k–
kɑː
క ki
kiː
ku
kuː
ke
keː
ko
koː
Note how the vowels on the right are ‘longer’ versions of the ones on the left
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In some cases, the long vowel sign is simply the short vowel sign with an added
◌ౕ
ki
kiː
ke
keː
ko
koː
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Elementary, my dear Watson
p
pʰ
ɦ
s
n̪
ʋ
pɑː
pʰɑː
ɦɑː
sɑː
n̪ ɑː
ʋɑː
poː
pʰoː
ɦoː
soː
n̪ oː
ʋoː
Watch out for
ɦ
ɦ
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Here are some Telugu words with the new signs we’ve just seen –
త రం ఙ యం
నం , గం రం స
నం
ర 218
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And some more –
రం
ంగ
శం
దం ం గం మం ♪♫J And we’re done! For now at least
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How many correct?
t̪ ɑːt̪ ɐ grandfather
ɖʱɑːkɑː Dacca, Bangladesh
త
prɑːɳi animal
ɦɑːrəm garland
రం
ʋɑːŋməjəm literature
ʥɲɑːn̪ əm, ɡnɑːn̪ əm knowledge
నం
ఙ యం
miːn̪ u fish
niːɭɭu water
ʈʰiːʋi splendour
ɡɐmbʱiːrəm seriousness
priːt̪ i love
ɕriːn̪ ɪʋɑːsɐ Srinivasa, a Hindu god
puːrt̪ i fullness, completion ɕuːn̪ jəm emptiness, nothingness
, గం రం స
dʱuːɭi dust
నం
muːrkʰɐ foolish
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muɦuːrt̪ əm auspicious occasion beŋɡəɭuːru Bangalore
రం ంగ n̪ eːn̪ u I
peːru name
ʨʰeːd̪ əm denominator
దం
ɦeːt̪ ʊʋu cause, reason
kʃeːt̪ rəm area
ʈoːpi cap
n̪ oːʈu currency note
ం
soːku to touch, strike
joːɡəm yoga
pʰoːʈoː photograph
ɦoːməm burnt offering
d̪ eːɕəm country
శం
Phew!
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At the beginning of a word, these vowels are written like this –
ɑː
ఆ iː
uː
ఈ
ఉ
eː
oː
ఎ
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Here are all the independent vowels we’ve seen so far, along with their corresponding vowel signs –
ɐ
ɑː
అ
ఆ i
ఇ
◌ా iː
◌ి
ఈ
u
◌ీ uː
ఉ
◌ు
ఊ
◌ూ
ʲe
e
ʲeː
eː
ఎ
◌ె
ఏ
◌ే
ʷo
o
ʷoː
oː
ఒ
◌ొ
ఓ
◌ో
We already know that
అɐ does not have any vowel sign of its own
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All these pairs look similar in that the one on the right is a slightly modified version of the one on the left –
ɐ
ɑː
అ
ఆ
u
uː
ఉ
ఊ
e
eː
ఎ
ఏ
o
oː
ఓ
ఒ 224
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Remember, u
ఉhas one horn at the top
and uː
ఊhas two
u
uː
ఉ
ఊ
These letters below too have a common element, namely the horizontal stroke with the curl at the right
iː
uː
ఈ
ఊ
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These two letters look very similar
i
ɲ
ఇ
ఞ
These letters all have a common basic shape
o
oː
ఒ
ఒ
ŋɐ
ʥɐ
bɐ
bʱɐ
ఙ
జ
బ
భ
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Some Telugu words beginning with the new vowel letters we’ve just seen –
ఆశ ఆం ఈగ
ఈర
ఊట ఊర య ఏ
ఏకవచనం
ఓడ
ఓష 227
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You should have got all of these right! –
ɑːɕɐ desire, hope
ఆశ
iːɡɐ housefly
ఈగ
uːʈɐ juice, sap
ఊట
ʲeːɽu seven
ఏ
ʷoːɽɐ boat
ఓడ
ɑːn̪ d̪ ʱrəprəd̪ eːɕ Andhra Pradesh, a state in India iːrʃjɐ envy
ఆం ఈర
uːrəɡɑːjɐ Indian pickle
ఊర య
ʲeːkəʋəʨən̪ əm singular
ఏకవచనం
ʷoːʃʈʰjɐ labial, from the lips
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And even more vowel signs –
əj
◌ై
This sign has a sound similar to i
in
fight
More precisely, it sounds like i in fight when pronounced in a Scottish accent It looks like a combination of
e
◌ె
and
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◌ౖ
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əw
◌ౌ This sign has a sound similar to ow
in
cow
More precisely, it sounds like ow in cow when pronounced in a Scottish accent
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This is how the signs for əj and əw are written –
kəj
kəw
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Notice the similarity in the shapes of these combo letters –
ke
keː
kəj
kɑː
kuː
kəw
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All in a day’s work
p
pʰ
ɦ
s
n̪
ʋ
pəj
pʰəj
ɦəj
səj
n̪ əj
ʋəj
pəw
pʰəw
ɦəw
səw
n̪ əw
ʋəw
Again, watch out for
ɦəw
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At the beginning of a word, these vowels are written like this–
əj
əw
ఐ
ఔ
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These letters look similar
ʲe
ఎ
ʲeː
əj
ఏ ఐ As do these
ʷo
ఒ
ʷoː
əw
ఓ ఔ 235
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Here are some Telugu words with the new letters we’ve just seen –
లం ద డ ందర ం ఐ ఔషధం ఐశ ర ం ఔ తం
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And their pronunciations and meanings –
kəj hand ɕriːɕəjləm Srisailam, a town in Andhra Pradesh
లం
ɦəjd̪ ərɑːbɑːd̪ Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh
ద
ɦəwd̪ ɑː howdah, a seat fixed on the back of an elephant pəwɽər powder
డ
səwn̪ d̪ ərjəm beauty əjd̪ u five əwʃəd̪ ʱəm medicine əjɕʋərjəm wealth, splendour əwʨɪt̪ jəm appropriateness
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A few letters and signs still remain!
æː
◌ా
This sign has a sound similar to a
in
cat
Here’s an example of this vowel sign in combination with
kæː
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Unfortunately, our new sign looks exactly like the mini version of plus the vowel sign
j
◌ా ɑː
◌ా Fortunately, this sign is pronounced with the sound æː only in English words borrowed into Telugu
So the pronunciation is usually clear from the context
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At the beginning of a word, this sign is written like this–
æː
Again, it looks exactly like
jɑː
But remember that it occurs only in borrowed English words So you’ll know from the context when to use which pronunciation
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Like you read earlier, this sign is used in Telugu only to write words borrowed from English that have the a sound in cat
ɡæːs
gas bæːʈəriː
ట battery kæːnsər
న cancer æːksɪs bæːŋk
ం Axis Bank, a bank in India
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rʊ
◌ృ This sign has a sound similar to rhu
in
rhubarb
This sign is written below a letter
Note that this sign behaves like a vowel sign
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This is how the sign for rʊ is written –
krʊ
కృ Notice how these letter combos look similar –
krɐ
krʊ
కృ
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At the beginning of a word, this sign is written like this–
rʊ
ఋ Don’t confuse it with this letter combo –
bu
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Some Telugu words which use this sign or its independent letter –
krʊʃi
rʊɳəm
కృ
rʊʃi
ఋణం
agriculture
ఋ
debt
sage, seer
ʋrʊkʃəm
krʊʃɳʊɽu
వృ ం
కృ
tree
Krishna, a Hindu god
ɦrʊd̪ əjəm
mɑːt̪ rʊbʱuːmi
హృదయం
తృ
heart
motherland
ɡrʊɦəst̪ ʰɐ
ʋrʊd̪ d̪ ʱɑːɕrəməm
గృహస
వృ
of the household
మం old-age home
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Another letter with a r sound
r
This letter has a sound similar to r
in
Italian Roma
This is a ‘rolled’ /r/, as in Spanish or Italian
That is, its pronunciation is exactly the same as
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These letters look somewhat similar
rɐ
ɐ
ఱ
అ
These are the various vowel combos formed from our new letter
rɐ
ఱ re
rɑː
ri
riː
ru
ruː
reː
rəj
ro
roː
rəw
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Here are some words with this letter
ɐrɐ
ʥerri
అఱ shelf
centipede
rekkɐ
reːɽu
క wing
king, lord
rɐmpəm
ɡurrəm
ఱంపం
ఱం
hacksaw
horse
kukkurt̪ i
ʋeːrʋeːru
greed
various
క These words are today normally spelled with r However, you might still come across this letter every now and then
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Remember this letter?
ʨ
This letter has another sound –
ts This sound is similar to ts
in
249
Betsy
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Remember this letter?
ʥ
This letter has another sound –
z This sound is similar to z
in
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zebra
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These alternative pronunciations exist only before certain vowel sounds –
ts
tsɐ
tsɑː
tsu
tsuː
tso
tsoː
zɑː
zu
zuː
zo
zoː
చ z
zɐ
జ In some cases, you might notice these alternative pronunciations being marked with this sign on top
Like so –
tsɐ
zɐ
ౘ
ౙ But more often than not,
you'll find them written simply as
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Some words with these alternative pronunciations tsɑːlɐ
zɑːɡu
ల much, very
delay
tsokkɑː
zon̪ n̪ ɐ
న shirt
millet
tsukkɐ
roːzu
క
dot, drop
day, date
tsɐd̪ ʊʋu
zuːd̪ əm
చ
దం
study, reading
gambling
rɐtstsɐ
bezəʋɑːɽɐ
రచ meeting place
జ డ Vijayawada, a city in Andhra Pradesh
Don’t worry You’ll be OK even if you pronounce these with a ʨ and ʥ
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One last sign –
◌ః This sign has a sound similar to h
in
hat
but with a little twist (we’ll see how on the next page)
Note that this sign too behaves like a vowel sign
Like
◌ం
this sign can be added onto another vowel sign
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This is how this new sign combines with basic letters and is pronounced –
kɐɦɐ
kɑːɦɐ
కః
ః
kiɦi
kiːɦi
ః
ః
kuɦu
kuːɦu
ః
ః
keːɦe
kəjɦi
ః
ః
koːɦo
kəwɦu
ః
ః
It never combines with the signs e
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◌ె and o ◌ొ
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Like
◌ం
this new sign can also combine with independent vowel letters
ɐɦɐ
ɑːɦɐ
అః
ఆః
iɦi
iːɦi
ఇః
ఈః
uɦu
uːɦu
ఉః
ఊః
eːɦe
əjɦi
ఏః
ఐః
oːɦo
əwɦu
ఓః
ఔః
It never combines with the letters e
255
ఎand o ఒ
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Got it? In a nutshell, the sign is pronounced
ɦ followed by a somewhat shortened repetition of the vowel just before it
kɑːɦɐ
ɑːɦɐ
ః
ఆః
kəwɦu
əwɦu
ః
ఔః Like so
punəɦɐ
prɑːt̪ əɦɐ
నః
తః
again
at dawn
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When this sign occurs in the middle of a word, it's often pronounced as a ‘doubling’ of the next letter –
d̪ ukkʰəm
ɐn̪ t̪ əkkərəɳəm
ఃఖం
అంతఃకరణం
sadness
conscience
Not to fret This sign occurs very rarely in Telugu, only in some words borrowed from Sanskrit
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Remember
ɦ
◌ః has two circles
and our nasal shortcut letter
◌ం has only one
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Let’s end with numerals and punctuation
౧౨౩౪౫౬౭౮౯౦ 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Punctuation marks are similar to English In some old Telugu texts, you might find these punctuation marks –
।
॥
full stop
end of verse
Try your hand at these –
3,737
౩,౭౩౭
0.611
౦.౬౧౧
1.2%
౧.౨%
54,789.01
౫౪,౭౮౯.౦౧ 259
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Here is a well-known piece of writing, in its Telugu version –
ప సత
ల షయ
జన తః స తం
స
న
న
ల న
.
ద ంతఃకరణ సంపన ల ట పరస ర
తృ వ
వ ంపవల
.
prɐt̪ ɪpət̪ t̪ ɪsʋət̪ ʋəmʊlɐ ʋiʃəjəmʊn̪ ɐ mɑːn̪ əʋʊlellərʊn̪ u ʥɐn̪ mət̪ əɦɐ sʋɐt̪ ən̪ t̪ rʊlʊn̪ u sɐmuːn̪ ʊlun̪ u n̪ ɐɡʊd̪ ʊru. ʋɑːru ʋiʋeːd̪ ən̪ ɑːn̪ t̪ əkkərəɳɐ sɐmpən̪ n̪ ʊləɡʊʈəʨeː pɐrəspərəmu bʱrɑːt̪ rʊbʱɑːʋəmʊt̪ oː ʋɐrt̪ ɪmpəʋələjʊn̪ u.
This is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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This is the Telugu alphabet The names of the letters are the sounds of the letters themselves ɐ
ɑː
i
iː
u
uː
rʊ
అ
ఆ
ఇ
ఈ
ఉ
ఊ
ఋ
e
eː
əj
o
oː
əw
ఎ
ఏ
ఐ
ఓ
ఒ
ఔ
kɐ
kʰɐ
ɡɐ
ɡʱɐ
ŋɐ
క
ఖ
గ
ఘ
ఙ
ʨɐ
ʨʰɐ
ʥɐ
ʥʱɐ
ɲɐ
చ
ఛ
జ
ఝ
ఞ
ʈɐ
ʈʰɐ
ɖɐ
ɖʱɐ
ɳɐ
ట
ఠ
డ
ఢ
ణ
t̪ ɐ
t̪ ʰɐ
d̪ ɐ
d̪ ʱɐ
n̪ ɐ
త
థ
ద
ధ
న
pɐ
pʰɐ
bɐ
bʱɐ
mɐ
ప
ఫ
బ
భ
మ
jɐ
rɐ
bɐɳɖi rɐ
lɐ
ɭɐ
ʋɐ
బం ఱ
య
ర
ఱ
ల
ళ
వ
ɕɐ
ʃɐ
sɐ
ɦɐ
tsɐ
dzɐ, zɐ
శ
ష
స
హ
ౘ
ౙ
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And these are the vowel and other signs, and their Telugu names –
ɑː
i
iː
u
uː
rʊ
◌ా
◌ి
◌ీ
◌ు
◌ూ
◌ృ
eː
eː
əj
oː
oː
əw
◌ె
◌ే
◌ై
◌ొ
◌ో
◌ౌ
ɐn̪ usʋɑːrəmu
అ
ర
◌ం
ʋɪsərɡəmu
ʋɐləpələɡɪləkɐ
సర
వలపల లక
◌ః
◌్
Good luck!
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End Typeset in Segoe UI (English & IPA) and Mallanna & NATS (Telugu)
For more information on the Telugu script and its history – http://www.omniglot.com/writing/telugu.htm
References: Brown, Charles. A Telugu-English Dictionary http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/brown/ Glosbe Telugu Hindi Dictionary http://glosbe.com/te/hi/ Gwynn, Peter. A Telugu-English Dictionary http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/gwynn/ Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju & Gwynn, Peter. A Grammar of Modern Telugu Telugu Wiktionary http://te.wiktionary.org
త
ం
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/teluguthalligroup v2013-06-24 ©2012-2013 Arvind Iyengar. All Rights Reserved.
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