Vowels in Bengali
editThere are two Bengali terms for vowel, স্বরবর্ণ (svoroborṇo /ʃɔrobɔrno/) for the written language and স্বরধ্বনি (svorodhvoni /ʃɔrod̪ːʱoni/) for the spoken language. The Bengali alphabet has 11 vowels, while spoken Bengali has seven vowels. The seven spoken vowels include /i/, /u/, /e/, /ɛ/, /o/, /ɔ/ and /a/. The pronunciation and transliteration of the vowels as used in this book are given in the following table. This is the same transliteration scheme that is used in the English Wiktionary.
| Vowel (স্বরবর্ণ) | IPA | Transliteration | English equivalents | How to write | Sample audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| অ | /ɔ/ or /o/ | o | dawn or open |  |
|
| আ | /a/ | a | father |  |
|
| ই | /i/ | i | we or heat |  |
|
| ঈ | /i/ | ī | we or heat |  |
|
| উ | /u/ | u | moon |  |
|
| ঊ | /u/ | ū | moon |  |
|
| ঋ1 | /ɹi/ | r̥ | return |  |
|
| এ | /e/ or /ɛ/ | e | bed, cap |  |
|
| ঐ | /oi/ | ōi | boy |  |
|
| ও | /o/ | ō | open |  |
|
| ঔ | /ou/ | ōu | boat |  |
|
| অ্যা2 | /ɛ/ | æ or ya | cat |  |
^1 Although ঋ is a composite sound, /ri/, in modern Bengali, it is a part of the Bengali alphabet as a vowel. ঋ is a separate vowel in Sanskrit.
^2 Although অ্যা is one of the seven vowels in spoken Bengali, it is not a part of the Bengali alphabet as a vowel. অ্যা is transliterated as æ at the beginning of a word and ya elsewhere.
Bibliography
edit- Bengali alphabet – English Wikipedia
- Bengali pronunciation – English Wiktionary