Page:Arden - A Progressive Grammar of Common Tamil.djvu/16

 naturally assume a somewhat more uniform and sharply cut shape; whereas in handwriting they are more rounded off, and somewhat less sharply defined. The native running hand need not be studied till a considerable knowledge of the language has been acquired.

4. When learning to read and to speak Tamil, the greatest attention must be paid to pronunciation. There are several sounds which do not exist in English; and the meaning of a word not unfrequently depends upon the hard or soft pronunciation of a consonant. Mark carefully the teacher's pronunciation; repeat each letter and each word after him several times; and speak clearly, distinctly, in a loud voice, and with the head well up, and the shoulders thrown back.

5. In Tamil there are twelve vowels, and eighteen consonants.

6. The twelve Tamil vowels are given in the following table, with their approximate sounds in English, as they are sounded in the Tamil alphabet.

7. The second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and eleventh vowels are the lengthened sounds of the short vowels which immediately precede them. The short vowels are pronounced somewhat more abruptly than the corresponding English sounds.

8. All the Tamil long vowels have a drawling pronunciation, which is not used in English, and therefore cannot be exactly rendered by the English examples given below. Thus, for instance, has the sound of the French ê in même.