TRANSLITERATION.
4. Peculiarities.
a. ൽ, besides expressing final l, serves also for Sanscrit ത് t, which in Malayā-
ḷam is pronounced l, f.i. in ഉൽ, തൽ, മൽ etc.; അത്ഭുതം, ഉത്സാഹം, താൽപൎയ്യം,
ചമൽകാരം, ഗല്ഗദം, etc. (These are in Sanscrit čamat-kära, gadgaďa, etc.).
b. ന & ൻ. The Malayāḷam has two different n, viz: the true dental ന (4th
Varga) and the Dravidian (dento-gingival) ൻ (6th Varga, page 523). The distinct
pronunciation of both is still in use, but not nowadays, (as is the case with the Tamil),
the consistent writing of the characters representing it.
The dental ന(n) occurring as initial and combining with the Dentals (nd, nth, nď,
ndh) is unmarked; but dental ന്ന (originating from ൻ+റ, see 523, & ന്ത) is marked
by a grave accent (ńń), Both have dental pronunciation. 1)
The Dravidian ൻ(ń), besides being final (ń), combines with റ in ന്റെ ńďē (Gen.
Sing), sometimes with പ in ൻപ (also written മ്പ) ńba, with മ in (Plur.) ന്മാർ
ńmār (=ൻമാർ), or it results from the phonetic change of ൽ(ല് & ത്) before മ 523,
and, in contradistinction to n combining with Dentals, this n is marked by a grave
accent and pronounced dento-gingivally.
As this ൻ preponderates between vowels it has been left unmarked in transcrip-
tion; all such n & nn (without the grave accent) point therefore to ൻ, ൻൻ and
are pronounced accordingly. 2)
c. റ (6th Varga) has three different pronunciations.3)
1. റ doubled (റ്റ) is marked ťťa (resembling tt in utter),
2. combined with ൻ (ന്റ) is marked ńďa (resembling nd in binder),
3. initial and medial റ is marked ŕ.
1) So the pres. (§ 204) and ന്തു, ന്നു, ൎന്നു past tense (§ § 217-221) of verbs (നിന്നു Abl, sing.
& Plur.) and the corresponding adj. participles.
2) So Dat. & Acc, of നുവക § 113 ff.
3) "The pronunciation of the letter റ" in റ്റ & ന്റ "contains so little of the r-sound, that
-- "we now prefer, with Dr. Gundert, to give to these new sounds a new diacritical sign, preserving
“the necessary basis of t & d, and to write ẗ & ď.” (Lepsius, 318), റ്റ has semi-dental, ന്റ dento-
gingival pronunciation.
