Language/Assamese/Grammar/Vowels-and-Consonants
Assamese is a rich and vibrant language, spoken by millions of people in the Northeastern region of India. The Assamese script is derived from the Brahmi script and has its roots in ancient Sanskrit. Over the centuries, Assamese has grown and evolved, becoming a language capable of expressing complex thoughts and ideas. This lesson aims to introduce you to the basic Assamese vowels and consonants, helping you to develop a foundational understanding of the language.
Assamese Vowels
Assamese has ten basic vowels, each with a distinct sound. They are:
- অ
- আ
- ই
- ঈ
- উ
- ঊ
- ঋ
- ৠ
- এ
- ঐ
- ও
- ঔ
It is important to note that Assamese vowels are pronounced in a similar way to their counterparts in Hindi and other Indian languages. Let's take a closer look at each vowel and its pronunciation:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| অ | [ɔ] or [o] | "o" as in "dog" or "awe" |
| আ | [ɑ] or [a] | "a" as in "father" or "ah" |
| ই | [i] | "ee" as in "beet" |
| ঈ | [i:] | "ee" as in "beet" (longer) |
| উ | [u] | "u" as in "boot" |
| ঊ | [u:] | "u" as in "boot" (longer) |
| ঋ | [rɪ] | rolled "r" sound |
| ৠ | [rɪ:] | rolled "r" sound (longer) |
| এ | [e] | "ay" as in "bay" |
| ঐ | [aɪ] | "i" as in "hi" (diphthong) |
| ও | [o] | "o" as in "so" |
| ঔ | [aʊ] | "ow" as in "cow" (diphthong) |
These Assamese vowels are written in the Assamese script in a similar manner to how they are written in Devanagari. Each vowel has its own distinct symbol that is written as a matra (a small character) above or below a consonant.
Assamese Consonants
Like the vowels, Assamese has a total of 10 basic consonants. These are:
- ক
- খ
- গ
- ঘ
- ঙ
- চ
- ছ
- জ
- ঝ
- ঞ
- ট
- ঠ
- ড
- ঢ
- ণ
- ত
- থ
- দ
- ধ
- ন
- প
- ফ
- ব
- ভ
- ম
- য
- র
- ল
- স
- শ
- ষ
- হ
- ক্ষ
- জ্ঞ
It is important to appreciate the uniqueness of each Assamese consonant, as each has its own pronunciation and sound. Let's take a closer look at each consonant and its pronunciation:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ক | [k] | "k" as in "kite" |
| খ | [kʰ] | aspirated "k" as in "kit" (with a puff of air) |
| গ | [g] | "g" as in "gate" |
| ঘ | [gʱ] | aspirated "g" as in "goat" (with a puff of air) |
| ঙ | [ŋ] | "ng" as in "sing" |
| চ | [t͡ʃ] | "ch" as in "chat" |
| ছ | [t͡ʃʰ] | aspirated "ch" as in "check" (with a puff of air) |
| জ | [d͡ʒ] | "j" as in "jump" |
| ঝ | [d͡ʒʱ] | aspirated "j" as in "judge" (with a puff of air) |
| ঞ | [ɲ] | "ny" as in "canyon" |
| ট | [ʈ] | "t" as in "top" |
| ঠ | [ʈʰ] | aspirated "t" as in "top" (with a puff of air) |
| ড | [ɖ] | "d" as in "day" |
| ঢ | [ɖʱ] | aspirated "d" as in "dime" (with a puff of air) |
| ণ | [n] | "n" as in "no" |
| ত | [t] | "t" as in "top" |
| থ | [tʰ] | aspirated "t" as in "top" (with a puff of air) |
| দ | [d] | "d" as in "day" |
| ধ | [dʱ] | aspirated "d" as in "dime" (with a puff of air) |
| ন | [n] | "n" as in "no" |
| প | [p] | "p" as in "pet" |
| ফ | [pʰ] | aspirated "p" as in "pet" (with a puff of air) |
| ব | [b] | "b" as in "bat" |
| ভ | [bʱ] | aspirated "b" as in "bat" (with a puff of air) |
| ম | [m] | "m" as in "man" |
| য | [d͡ʒ] | "j" as in "jump" |
| র | [ɾ] | trilled "r" as in "spare" |
| ল | [l] | "l" as in "lot" |
| স | [s] | "s" as in "sat" |
| শ | [ʃ] | "sh" as in "she" |
| ষ | [ʂ] | "sh" as in "she" |
| হ | [h] | "h" as in "hat" |
| ক্ষ | [kʃ] | "ksh" as in "baksheesh" |
| জ্ঞ | [d͡ʒɲ] | "jny" as in "balcony" |
Like the vowels, Assamese consonants can be written in the Assamese script as standalone letters or combined with vowels to form new characters. Let's take a closer look at these combined letters in the next section.
Combined Letters
Assamese has a total of 11 basic combined letters. These are formed by combining a consonant with a vowel. Some of the combined letters have slightly different pronunciations than their standalone counterparts. Here are the basic combined letters:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ক + অ | [kɔ] | "k" as in "cock" (combined with the sound of "o") |
| ক + আ | [kɑ] | "ka" as in "kangaroo" |
| ক + ই | [ki] | "ki" as in "kite" |
| ক + ঈ | [ki:] | "ki" as in "kite" (longer) |
| ক + উ | [ku] | "ku" as in "cool" |
| ক + ঊ | [ku:] | "ku" as in "cool" (longer) |
| ক + এ | [ke] | "kay" as in "cake" |
| ক + ঐ | [kɔɪ] | "koi" as in "coincide" |
| ক + ও | [ko] | "ko" as in "kool" |
| ক + ঔ | [kɔʊ] | "kau" as in "cow" |
| ক + র | [krɪ] | "ker" as in "kermesse" |
These combined letters are used extensively in Assamese literature and are a key part of developing fluency in the language. By memorizing these combined letters and their pronunciations, you can begin to read and write simple Assamese words and phrases.
Conclusion
In this lesson, you have learned about the basic Assamese vowels and consonants, including their pronunciations and examples of words using these characters. By understanding these fundamental aspects of Assamese, you will be able to read, write, and speak the language more effectively. In the next lesson, you will learn about forming combined letters in Assamese by joining vowels and consonants, including the rules and examples for proper pronunciation.
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