Language/Bhojpuri/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
Bhojpuri is an Indo-Iranian language spoken in North-East India where it has more than 51 million speakers (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and a valley in Nepal). It is also used by the Indian diaspora in Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Mauritius and Trinidad and Tobago.
In today's lesson, we will learn its writing and sound system.
Feel free to edit this page to complete it.
As you complete your study of this topic, consider these connected lessons to continue your learning: Say Hello and Greetings in Bhojpuri, Bhojpuri.
Writing[edit | edit source]
Bhojpuri is written in the Kaithi script.
Kaithi has 35 consonant letters, each letter representing a consonant with an inherent vowel /a/. Other vowels are represented by a variety of diacritics around the consonant. There are also 10 letters representing separate vowels. Geminated consonants and long vowels are represented by different letters from their single counterparts.
Devanagari letter | Kaithi letter | ISO | IPA |
---|---|---|---|
क | 𑂍 | ka | ka |
ख | 𑂎 | kha | kʰa |
ग | 𑂏 | ga | ɡa |
घ | 𑂐 | gha | ɡʱa |
ङ | 𑂑 | ṅa | ŋa |
च | 𑂒 | ca | t͡ʃa |
छ | 𑂓 | cha | t͡ʃʰa |
ज | 𑂔 | ja | d͡ʒa |
झ | 𑂕 | jha | d͡ʒʱa |
ञ | 𑂖 | ña | ɲa |
ट | 𑂗 | ṭa | ʈa |
ठ | 𑂘 | ṭha | ʈʰa |
ड | 𑂙 | ḍa | ɖa |
ड़ | 𑂚 | ṛa | ɽa |
ढ | 𑂛 | ḍha | ɖʱa |
ढ़ | 𑂜 | ṛha | ɽʱa |
ण | 𑂝 | ṇa | ɳa |
त | 𑂞 | ta | t̪a |
थ | 𑂟 | tha | t̪ʰa |
द | 𑂠 | da | d̪a |
ध | 𑂡 | dha | d̪ʱa |
न | 𑂢 | na | na |
प | 𑂣 | pa | pa |
फ | 𑂤 | pha | pʰa |
ब | 𑂥 | ba | ba |
भ | 𑂦 | bha | bʱa |
म | 𑂧 | ma | ma |
य | 𑂨 | ya | ja |
र | 𑂩 | ra | ra |
ल | 𑂪 | la | la |
व | 𑂫 | va | ʋa |
श | 𑂬 | śa | ʃa |
ष | 𑂭 | ṣa | xa |
स | 𑂮 | sa | sa |
ह | 𑂯 | ha | ɦa |
Devanagari letter | Kaithi letter | Devanagari diacritic | Kaithi diacritic | ISO | IPA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
अ | 𑂃 | ◌ | ◌ | a | ʌ |
आ | 𑂄 | ा | 𑂰 | ā | a |
इ | 𑂅 | ि | 𑂱 | i | i |
ई | 𑂆 | ी | 𑂲 | ī | iː |
उ | 𑂇 | ु | 𑂳 | u | u |
ऊ | 𑂈 | ू | 𑂴 | ū | uː |
ए | 𑂉 | ॅ | 𑂵 | e | e |
ऐ | 𑂊 | ै | 𑂶 | ai | æː |
ओ | 𑂋 | ो | 𑂷 | o | o |
औ | 𑂌 | ौ | 𑂸 | au | ɔː |
अः | 𑂃𑂂 | ः | 𑂂 | aḥ | ah |
अं | 𑂃𑂀 | ँा | 𑂀𑂰 | aṃ | ãː |
् | 𑂹 | (omit vowel) |
Sound system[edit | edit source]
Bhojpuri syllables can begin and end in consonants. Consonant clusters occur in final positions only. It is also possible to have two vowels in a row.
Vowels[edit | edit source]
Bhojpuri has 6 vowel phonemes (sounds that differentiate word meaning).
Central | Front | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Mid | ə | e | o |
Close | i | u | |
Open | a, ā |
- The only length contrast is between /a/ and /ā/.
- /ə/ = a in about
- There are two diphthongs: /ai/ and /au/.
Consonants[edit | edit source]
The Bhojpuri sound system contains 34 consonant phonemes. Most consonants can be geminated (doubled). There is a contrast between aspirated and unaspirated consonants. Aspirated consonants are produced with a strong puff of air. In the table below, aspirated consonants are marked with a raised [ʰ]. There is a contrast between apical and retroflex consonants, e.g. /t/ – /ʈ/, /d/ – /ɖ/. Apical consonants are produced with the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth, while retroflex consonants are produced with the tongue rolled up so that its underside contacts the roof of the mouth.
Dental | Bilabial | Palatal | Retroflex | Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stops | voiceless unaspirated | t | p | c | ʈ | k | |
voiceless aspirated | tʰ | pʰ | cʰ | ʈʰ | kʰ | ||
voiced unaspirated | d | b | j | ɖ | g | ||
voiced aspirated | dʰ | bʰ | jʰ | ɖʰ | gʰ | ||
Fricatives | voiceless | s | h | ||||
Affricates | voiceless unaspirated | tʃ | |||||
voiceless aspirated | tʃʰ | ||||||
voiced unaspirated | dʒ | ||||||
voiced aspirated | dʒʰ | ||||||
Nasals | unaspirated | n | m | ŋ | |||
aspirated | nʰ | mʰ | ŋʰ | ||||
Laterals | unaspirated | l | ... | ||||
aspirated | lʰ | ||||||
Flaps | unaspirated.. | r | ɽ | ||||
aspirated | rʰ | ɽʰ | |||||
Approximants | . | w | j |
- /c/ has no equivalent in English
- /ʈ, ʈʰ, ɖ, ɖʰ, tʃʰ/ have no equivalents in English
- /ŋ/ = ng in song
- /tʃ/ = ch in chop
- /dʒ/ = j in job
- /j/ = y in yet
- /ɽ/ = r in hurt
Stress[edit | edit source]
Stress in Bhojpuri does not distinguish the meaning of words. The main stress usually falls on the penultimate syllable (a penultimate) in two-syllable words and on the antepenultimate syllable in longer words.
Videos[edit | edit source]
How to write ancient Bhojpuri alphabet letter for beginners joint[edit | edit source]
Bhojpuri language Kaithi consonants Letters[edit | edit source]
Bhojpuri language Kaithi Vowel Letters || kayasthi script letters[edit | edit source]
Sources[edit | edit source]