Language/Panjabi/Grammar/Gurmukhi-Alphabet
As a Panjabi language teacher with 20 years of experience, I am excited to introduce you to the beautiful and unique Gurmukhi script. Gurmukhi is the script used to write the Panjabi language and is the official script of the state of Punjab in India. In this lesson, we will be focusing on the Gurmukhi alphabet, its vowels, consonants, and their pronunciation.
Gurmukhi Alphabet
The Gurmukhi alphabet consists of 35 consonants, 10 vowel symbols, and two symbols used for nasalization. The alphabet is written from left to right and does not have any capital or lowercase letters.
Consonants
Let's start with the consonants in the Gurmukhi alphabet. These consonants are usually arranged in the following order:
| ਅ || ਆ || ਇ || ਈ || ਉ || ਊ || ਏ || ਐ || ਓ || ਔ || |- | a || aa || i || ee || u || oo || ae || ai || o || au |
These vowel symbols are pronounced in a unique way in Panjabi. Their pronunciation is different from how they are pronounced in English or other languages. It is essential to learn the correct pronunciation of these vowels to speak Panjabi accurately.
Now, let’s move on to the consonants. In the Gurmukhi alphabet, there are five rows of consonants, each representing a different part of the mouth where the sound is produced. The first row represents sounds produced from the throat, the second row represents sounds produced from the back of the mouth, the third row represents sounds produced from the middle of the mouth, the fourth row represents sounds produced from the front of the mouth, and the fifth row represents sounds produced using the lips.
Here is a table that lists all of the consonants in the Gurmukhi alphabet, their pronunciation, and an English equivalent sound.
| Gurmukhi | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ਕ | k | k as in "kite" |
| ਖ | kh | kh as in "khaki" |
| ਗ | g | g as in "goat" |
| ਘ | gh | gh as in "ghost" |
| ਙ | ng | ng as in "sing" |
| ਚ | ch | ch as in "church" |
| ਛ | chh | chh as in "chhad (Umbrella in Panjabi)" |
| ਜ | j | j as in "jaguar" |
| ਝ | jh | jh as in "jheenga (prawn in Panjabi)" |
| ਞ | ny | ny as in "canyon" |
| ਟ | tt | tt with the tongue touching the upper teeth (no English equivalent) |
| ਠ | tth | tth with the tongue touching the upper teeth (no English equivalent) |
| ਡ | dd | dd with the tongue touching the upper teeth (no English equivalent) |
| ਢ | ddh | ddh with the tongue touching the upper teeth (no English equivalent) |
| ਣ | n | n as in "night" |
| ਤ | t | t as in "top" |
| ਥ | th | th as in "thin" |
| ਦ | d | d as in "dog" |
| ਧ | dh | dh as in "dhamaka (explosion in Panjabi)" |
| ਨ | n | n as in "no" |
| ਪ | p | p as in "pass" |
| ਫ | ph | ph as in "phone" |
| ਬ | b | b as in "boy" |
| ਭ | bh | bh as in "bhaji (vegetable fritter in Panjabi)" |
| ਮ | m | m as in "man" |
| ਯ | y | y as in "yes" |
| ਰ | r | r as in "run" |
| ਲ | l | l as in "lot" |
| ਵ | v | v as in "very" |
| ਸ਼ | sh | sh as in "sheep" |
| ਸ | s | s as in "same" |
| ਹ | h | h as in "hot" |
| ਕ੍ਸ | ksh | ksh as in "moksha" |
| ਗ੍ਹ | gh | gh as in "bagh (garden in Panjabi)" |
| ਜ੍ਹ | jh | jh as in "jhoomar (a folk dance)" |
| ਫ਼ | f | f as in "fun" |
| ਲ਼ | l | l as in "lentil" |
| ਖ਼ | kh | kh as in "khush (happy in Panjabi)" |
| ਸ਼ | sh | sh as in "shampoo" |
It is essential to pay close attention to the pronunciation of each consonant when learning the Gurmukhi alphabet. The same sound may be produced differently in the Gurmukhi script, as compared to English or other languages.
Also, remember that every syllable in Panjabi ends with a vowel sound, which is represented by one of the ten vowels we discussed earlier or the symbols used for nasalization. When a consonant does not have an accompanying vowel, it is pronounced with an "a" sound at the end.
Vowels
Now, let's focus on learning the ten vowel symbols in the Gurmukhi script:
| ਅ || ਆ || ਇ || ਈ || ਉ || ਊ || ਏ || ਐ || ਓ || ਔ || |- | a || aa || i || ee || u || oo || ae || ai || o || au |
Each of these vowels has a unique pronunciation that is different from the English language. For example, the vowel "a" is pronounced as "a" in "amazing" in English, while in the Gurmukhi alphabet, it is pronounced as "uh" as in "cup." Similarly, the vowel "o" is pronounced as "oh" in "go" in English, while in Panjabi, it is pronounced as "ooh" as in "boot."
It is crucial to practice the pronunciation of each vowel to develop a strong foundation in the Gurmukhi script.
Nasalization
In addition to the vowels and consonants, there are two symbols used for nasalization in the Gurmukhi script. These symbols modify the pronunciation of the preceding consonant by making it sound nasal.
The first symbol for nasalization is a small dot called "bindi," which is placed above the consonant. For example:
| ਮ || ਂ || |- | m || .n |
The second symbol for nasalization is a straight line called "tippi," which is placed above the consonant. For example:
| ਨ || ਃ || |- | n || .h |
It is essential to learn how to use these symbols correctly to accurately pronounce words in the Panjabi language.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have learned the Gurmukhi alphabet, its vowels, consonants, and their pronunciation. With practice, you will be able to read and write in the Gurmukhi script with ease. In the next lesson, we will be learning about Gurmukhi matras and how they modify the pronunciation of consonants. Until then, keep practicing!
Related Lessons
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- Emotions and Feelings
- Past Tense
- Adjectives
- How to Use Be
- Gender
- Questions
- Nouns and Pronouns
- Conjunctions
- Negation