Page:A Grammar of the Telugu language.djvu/25

Rh ple: but the second and fourth are aspirated. The simple letters are called hard, and the third letter in the same line is called soft.

Thus G is the soft form of K, and P is the hard form of B. Each line concludes with a nasal.

The expressions dentals, palatals labials hard, soft, &c. here omitted call for explanation in Sanscrit Gramars: but belong to the chapter on Sanscrit elision and permutation.

The Telugu alphabet is borrowed from that of the Carnataca or Canarese language: and these are as alike as French and English manuscript: yet the two languages are quite distinct.

Why some consonants are called hard and others are called soft will hereafter be shewnshown [sic].

The forms given in the Alphabet are the capitals or first forms. The secondary forms will now be given, with the pronunciation.

అ short a as in about, around or like u in but or like e in enough. The second form is as in క ca ప​ pa.

Six of the consonants (ఘ​, ప​, ఫ, ష, స​, హ​, gha, pa, pha, sha, sa, ha,) have this written above them not being united, but separate. This serves to distinguish ప​ P from వ​ V and స​ S from న​ n.

In common writing the shapes of the letters vary considerably, Thus in writing the letters Ka and Ta, క, త, or Kĭ and Ti కి, తి​, the vowels and  ి may be joined to the letter or may be written separate at pleasure.

Each of the first five lines of the alphabet terminates in a nasal.