A Malayalam and English dictionary/Transliteration
| ←Notes by the publisher | A Malayalam and English dictionary രചന: (1872) |
Abbreviations→ |
[ 16 ] TRANSLITERATION
following Lepsius's Standard Alphabet, 2nd Edition 1863, 2nd postscript.
a Vowels. (§ § 10-85)1)
| അ | a | as a in about | എ | e | as ea in head | ||
| ആ | ấ | „ a „ far | ഏ | ē | „ ea „swear | ||
| ഇ | i | „ i „ pin | ഐ | ei,ai | M. | as ei in height | |
| ൟ | ī | „ i „ police | ai,ei | s. | as ai in kaiser | ||
| ഉ | u 2) „ u „ full | ഒ | o | as o in collect | |||
| ഊ | ū | „ u „ rule | ഓ | ō | „ o „vote | ||
| ഋ | ṛ | vocalized r | ഔ | au | „ ou „ house | ||
| ൠ | ṝ | do. ṝ | lengthened | അം | aṃ | „ um „ fulcrum | |
| ഌ | ḷi | vocalized l | അഃ | aḥ,aഃ | vocalized h | ||
| ൡ | ḷī | do. l | lengthened |
b. Consonants. (§ § 36–68)
1. a. Initial.3)
| ക | ka | as ka in kalendar | ധ | dha | the same aspirated |
| ഖ | kha | the same aspirated | ന | na | the true dental na |
| ഗ | ga | as ga in gallon | പ | pa | as pa in parental |
| ഘ | gha | the same aspirated | ഫ | pha | the same aspirated |
| ങ | ṅa | as ñg in singing | ബ | ba | as ba in balloon |
| ച | ča | as cha in chapter | ഭ | bha | the same aspirated |
| ഛ | čha | the same aspirated | മ | ma | as ma in maternal |
| ജ | ĵa | as ja in Japan | യ | ya | as ya in yahoo (German j) |
| ഝ | ĵh | the same aspirated | ര | ra | a palatal r |
| ഞ | ṅa | as nya in banyan | റ | ŕa | a cerebral r (German r) |
| ട | ṭa | the cerebral ta | ല | la | as la in laborious |
| ഠ | ṭha | the same aspirated | വ | va | „ va in variety (soft English v) |
| ഡ | ḍa | the cerebral da | ശ | ša | a palatal sh |
| ഢ | ḍha | the same aspirated | ഷ | ša | a cerebral sh (English sh) |
| ണ | ṇa | the cerebral na | സ | sa | as sa in salute |
| ത | ta | the true dental ta | ഹ | ha | „ ha in harangue |
| ഥ | tha | the same aspirated | ള | ḷa | a cerebral l |
| ദ | da | the true dental da | ഴ | ḻa | a cerebro–palatal l |
| ൿ k | ൺ ṇ | ൻ ń | മ്= ം m | ൕ y | ർ r | ൽ l | ൾ ḷ | ഴ് ḷ 1) |
c.Followed by a Consonant.
| ക്ത kta | ക്വ kva | ക്ഷ kša | ഗ്ന gna | ഗ്ധ gdha |
| ച്യ čya | ച്ശ്ര ččhra | ഛ്ശ ččha | ജ്ഞ jṅa | ജ്ഝ jjha |
| ത്ഥ ttha | ത്ഥ്യ tthya | ത്ന tna | ദ്ധ ddha | ധ്ന dhna |
| പ്ത pta | പ്ല pla | ബ്ദ bda | ബ്ര bra | |
| ല്ബ lba | ശ്ച šča | സ്ക ska | ഷ്ക ška etc |
| [യ്ക്ക yka | ൾ്ക്ക ḷka | ഴ്ക്ക ḷക | (യ്ക yɤ | ല്ക lɤa | ൾ്ക lɤa | ഴ്ക ḻɤa.] |
d. Doubled.
| 2) ക്ക kka | ങ്ങ ṅṅa | ||
| ച്ച čča | ജ്ജ jja | ഞ്ഞ ṅṅa | |
| ട്ട ṭṭa | ഡ്ഡ ḍḍa | ണ്ണ ṇṇa | |
| ത്ത tta | ദ്ദ dda | ന്ന nna & ńńa 3) | |
| പ്പ ppa | ബ്ബ bba | മ്മ mma | etc. 4) |
e. Following r (1). 5)
| ൎക്ക rka | ൎഗ്ഗ rga | ൎച്ച rča | ൎജ്ജ rĵa | ൎണ്ണ rṇa | |
| ൎത്ത rta | ൎദ്ദ rda | ൎന്ന rna | ൎപ്പ rpa | ബ്ബ rba | etc. |
2. Combined with Nasals. ( § § 83, 84) 6)
| ങ്ക ṅga | (ംഖ ṅkha | ംഗ ṅġa | ഞ്ച ṅĵ | (ഞ്ഛ ṅċha) |
| ഞ്ജ ṅĵ | ണ്ട ṇḍa | ണ്ഡ ṇḍa | ന്ത nda | |
| ന്ദ nďa | മ്പ mba | ൻപ ńba | ംബ mḃa |
3. Between 2 Vowels. (§ § 36-48) 7)
| ka ɤa | ഗ ġa | ച ĵa (ša) | ജ ĵa | ട ḍa | ഡ ḍa | |
| ത ḋa | ദ ďa | പ ba | ബ ḃa | |||
| കൃ ɤr | ഗൃ ġr | ജൃ ĵr | തൃ ơṛ | ദൃ ḋṛ | പൃ bṛ | ബൃ ḃṛ |
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.