Pronounce:
a as the Italian and German short _a_.
ā as _a_ in f_a_ther,
e as _e_ in _e_ight.
i as _i_ in h_i_t.
ī as _i_ in m_a_chine.
o as _o_ in h_o_me.
u as _oo_ in g_oo_d.
u as ū in r_u_mor.
ai as in _eye_.
au as _ow_ in h_ow_.
ñ as _ny_.
jñ as _dny_.
ññ as _n-ny_.
ch as _ch_ in _ch_ur_ch_.
cch as _ch-ch_ in ri_ch_ _ch_ance.
Note that _o_ and _e_ are always long.
s, j, y, and other letters, as usual in English words.
Double consonants are pronounced as two distinct sounds, e.g.,
_ka'm-ma_, not _kă'ma_.
The h after _p, b, k, g, t, d_ is audible as in du_b h_im, be_g h_er,
bric_k h_ouse, an_t h_ill. Pronounce Tat-hāgata, not Ta-thāgata.
To the average European it is difficult to catch, let alone to imitate,
the difference of sound between dotted and non-dotted letters. All those
who are desirous for information on this point must consult Sanskrit and
Pāli grammars.
Lest the reader be unnecessarily bewildered with foreign-looking dots
and signs, which after all are no help to him, all dotted ṭ, ḍ, ṃ, ṇ,
and italicized _t, d, m, n_ have been replaced in the text of the book
by t, d, m, n, ñ, ññ, dotted ṛ and italicized _s_ have been transcribed
by ny, nny, ri, and sh, while the Glossary preserves the more exact
transcription.
We did not follow the spelling of the _Sacred Books of the East_, where
it must be misleading to the uninitiated, especially when they write
italicized _K_ to denote spelling of the English sound ch, and
italicized _g_ to denote j. Thus we write "rājā," not "rāgā," and
"Chunda," not "_K_unda."