The letter Y though thus written (the learned say) ought not affect the pronunciation.
The vowels A and E are in vulgar writing used for one another: chiefly in initial syllables. Thus 6&>p&38 enimidi 'eight' is written tSfipsxiS yanimidi; a3?f£ is spelt <*J_£; ofc>»>£3o evvaru becomes ^^5^ yavvaru.
It will be observed that the six letters over which the vowel Q i is written without touching them, likewise have e and e written in the same manner. «
20 ai; "^S^0 ais-war-yam, (prosperity) SD^° aik-yam ' unitedness.' This is sounded as the English sounds of sky. like, heights.
Words beginning with this vowel use the shape 20 in the diction, ary, (See rules for finding words in the dictionary) but in common use this is laid aside, and Wo» ayi is substituted. Thus Sr^jfc I became is written tsou pr°(& ayinanu. Under the vowel Sj it has been shewn that CCO yi is used for i, and in fact does not retain the sound y (which is reckoned as a consonant) thus a-yi-na-nu is pronounced ai-nanu. The second form is „ ;thus ~§ Kai, «p Khai, ^~ * Q Q— A gai, &c.
The forms therefore are as follows:
~§ lp ~R -=?po ^ ~^3 13 -&$ 1?0 ~S ~S ~S CS &c. o— o— o_ a__ o— Q_z Q Q o_ o— a Q2. Q
This vowel must always be expressed by AI in English—never by Y. Thus 2.S)® is nairruti, not nyruti; Jj^siu is paicam, not py-cum; S^*4" >» sain-yam, not synyam. If it is written Y, this leads to uncertainty, as will be seen in the remarks on the consonant Y. For the letter Y is, in Sanscrit and in Telugu, always a consonant; and cannot be used without a vowel following it.
The vowel 2j is o as in Sophia, Police, produced, Moravia, potential, Located. Or the French words folle, monnoie, montagne. The longer sound gj is that which occurs in the Persian words shor, top, mor, or in the French words lorgner, monde, fosse.
These initial forms are found in the dictionary, but are laid aside in common use. "^) vo and "c^J-0 vo being substituted.*
- The alphabet is called i,^sSr»(LU 6namalu from the words Lo;6abS'S«n'<s6 S;O0^ao8 which is to Hindus what the Bismillah is to Musulmaus
