Page:A Grammar of the Telugu language.djvu/36

18 Elsewhere a letter is needlessly aspirated. Thus దొర​ dora (ruler, lord) is always spelt ధొర​ dhora. The words గటి gatti, (strong) and బావి bavi (a well) are in like manner written ఘట్టి ghatti and భావి bhāvi.

It often is optional to use a soft or hard initial. Thus the word దోవ​ (a road) may be at pleasure spelt తోవ​, త్రోవ​, దోవ​, ద్రోవ, tova, trova, dova, drova.

And, as here exemplified, many pure Telugu words have a liberty of adding R to the initial consonant. Thus కొత్త​​ cotta (new,) may be spelt క్రొత్త​ crotta: and కింద​ kinda (under) may be spelt క్రింద​ krinda.

By “pure Telugu words” (అచ్చ​ తెమగు) grammarians intend such as are not derived from Sanscrit. The principles of Telugu and Sanscrit spelling are widely different: but it is requisite to explain both, the reader will observe that such rules as mention one of these languages do not apply to both.

As the letters of each class are mutable, the Telugu dictionary (not yet printed) is so arranged that the four first consonants of each వర్గం vargam or set, are mingled: just as I and J, or U and V were (with less necessity) mingled in our earlier English dictionaries. The various nasals remain separate.

The sounds of many consonants require no explanation. Thus

క K, గ​ G, చ​ cha, జ​ J, న​ N, ప​, బ​ B, మ​ M, య​ Y, ర​ R, ల K, వ​ V, స​ S, హ​ H are pronounced (usually) like the English letters to which they answer.