THE LANGUAGE of the GURUS an Introductory Course in Gurmukhi

Home , Au (Indic), Cha (Indic), Ja (Indic), Kha (Indic), Ma (Indic), Ra (Indic)

1E siqguru pRswid

THE LANGUAGE OF THE GURUS An introductory course in Gurmukhi

Awvhu isK siqgurU ky ipAwirho gwvhu scI bwxI

Avo Sikh Satguru Ke Piario Gavo Sachi Bani Come beloved Sikhs of the Guru and sing the True Word - Guru Amar Das ji –

“Teaching of Guru Granth Sahib is a very unique teaching. At that time your energy becomes the Guru’s. Your lips do the same movement which Guru Nanak’s did, or Guru Ram Das’ lips did. You are exactly saying it the same way they said it. At that time you are they and they are you. There is no difference, there’s no gap.” - Siri Singh Sahib Harbhajan Singh Yogiji. 11/20/73

EK ONG KAR SAT NAM SIRI WAH GURU

 Guru Liv Singh, 1975 Edited in 2010 by Siri Sevak Kaur and Ravi Nam Kaur

FOREWORD

In the beginning was the word and the word was God, and the word was with God. The Sikh Gurus spoke the Word of God, the infinite sound current. This vibration changes men’s destiny as it reaches into their hearts. This vibration, this spirit, this direct communication between man and God is our living Guru: SIRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB.

Guru Angad Dev, the second Guru, created the Gurmukhi script to transmit this vibration and perpetuate it for mankind. For this reason he called it Gurmukhi, literally, “from the mouth of the Guru”. It is a bridge to reach the sound current of the Gurus. It is much simpler than the Sanskrit or the Arabic script; it is phonetic, logical and consistent.

Guru Nanak and his successors lived primarily in the northern part of India, which is now the State of Punjab. Many of their compositions are written in various forms of the language of that region; others are in Hindi and many other Indian and Arabic influenced dialects. Although the Guru Granth Sahib comprises verses from many languages, its script is entirely Gurmukhi.

NOTE: Gurbani means Word of the Guru. It normally refers to the word of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. It also refers to the word of Guru Gobind Singh, which is not found in Guru Granth Sahib, but in a separate volume known as Dasam Granth and made up only of his poetry.

This beginning Gurmukhi course will teach you to read, write and pronounce Gurmukhi which will give you tools for chanting, teaching and enjoying Kundalini Yoga mantra and for beginning to study Japji Sahib and other compostions from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib.

You will be provided with: a textbook which gradually presents the material, a series of recordings covering the exercises in the textbook so you can practice pronunciation on your own, materials for writing practice, and flashcards. Each week you will receive a mantra sheet with Kundalini mantras using the letters you have already learned. By the end of the class you will have all the Aquarian sadhana mantras.

Recommended approach:

Frequent short study periods of 15-30 minutes a day are more effective than two hours once a week. Cover the material rapidly; get through it without expecting total recall or perfect understanding. As soon as you have learned the basic sounds and pronunciation principles, begin reading. Read slowly and consciously. If there is a word which you cannot pronounce, write it down and move forward. As you read the rules will gradually be easier to apply.

Method for the beginning reader:

1. When you read a word, first break it down into its components to make sure you pronounce each sound correctly. 2. When you have identified each sound, find the proper place to put the stress and pronounce the entire word.

Study notes:

1. If you cannot remember certain letters or if certain sounds seem very difficult for you to pronounce: simply be aware of them and KEEP GOING.

2. If a rule is unclear, understand it as best you can and come back to it later.

3. If you cannot hear or feel a difference between certain sounds, pronounce them exactly as you hear them and be mentally aware which letter you are pronouncing. With practice your ear will automatically sharpen itself.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1: VOWELS………...... …………..………………………………………………………………..……...6 MUKTA & KANA ...... 6 SIAREE & BIAREE...... 10 ONKAR & DULAINKAR ...... 11 LANV & DULANV...... 12 HORA & KANAURA...... 13 SECTION 2: VOWEL BEARERS, SASSA & HAHHA ...... 14 SECTION 3: CONSONANTS...... 18 ROW 1...... 18 ROW 2: VELAR LETTERS...... 19 ROW 3: PALATAL LETTERS...... 21 ROW 4: RETROFLEX LETTERS ...... 23 ROW 5: DENTAL LETTERS ...... 25 ROW 6: LABIAL LETTERS ...... 28 ROW 7: INDEPENDENT CONSONANTS...... 30 ROW 8: THE PERSIAN SOUNDS...... 33 SPECIAL SECTION: THE VOICED ASPIRATED STOPS...... 35 SECTION 4: NASALIZATION...... 40 SECTION 5: ADDAK ...... 43 SECTION 6- ADVANCED: TONE ...... 44 READING PRACTICE FROM GURBANI DEMONSTRATING TONE...... 46 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS...... 47 TONE WITH THE LETTER h HAHHA...... 47

ICON KEY

Tips provide advice that is short and easy to remember

Audio exercise- listen and repeat the exercise using the audio file

Reading exercises have no audio file

Note- this is advice that may require you to come back to it again and again.

GURMUKHI ALPHABET

The consonants with the three vowel-bearers are arranged in eight rows with five letters in each row. The first row contains the three vowel-bearers followed by two consonants. Rows Two through Six are scientifically arranged by pronunciation from the throat over the roof of the mouth to the lips. The arrangement of the letters within these six rows is two pairs and a nasal consonant. The first pair is voiceless, the second voiced. The names of the consonants are their sounds pronounced twice with the mukta. (The first letter of the fourth row is the only exception to this.) The seventh row is made up of sounds which didn’t fit into Rows 2-6. The eighth row is made up of five Arabic or Persian sounds which came into the language with the Moslem influence in Punjab. The following chart is added as a reference.

Vowel Signs Mukta Kana Lanv Dulanv Siaree Biaree Onkar Dulankar Hora Kanaura Unwritten w y Y i I u U o O

Vowel Bearers Independents 1. a A e s h

Voiceless Voiced Nasal 2. Velar (K) k K (G) g G |

3. Palatal (CH) c C (J) j J \

4. Retroflex (T) t T (D) f F x

5. Dental (T) q Q (D) d D n

6. Labial (P) p P (B) b B m

7. Independents X r l v V

8. Persian Sounds S ^ Z z &

The consonants should be associated with their sounds rather than with the English letters which approximately represent them. Thus, like the vowels, they should be learned primarily by hearing.

SECTION ONE: VOWELS

Vowels are produced by the vibration of air passing through the mouth cavity without obstruction. The different vowel sounds are formed by changing the shape and size of the mouth. There are 10 pure vowel sounds in Gurmukhi. Each one is unique.

Mukta & Kana sq nwm Truth (is His) Name. These are the 5 primal sounds: Sa- Totality; Ta- Birth, life; Na - Death; Ma - Resurrection s q n w m Notice that in Gurmukhi Sat Nam is spelled: ST NAM S T N A M

s is pronounced as S in sit. q is a soft T pronounced with the tongue curled against the inside of the upper teeth. There is NO ASPIRATION (air) with it. n is an N sound pronounced in the same position as q. m is an M sound.

The vowel between the s & q of sq is called MUKTA, the liberated One. It is not written. It is pronounced somewhat as U is bus.

When you see two adjacent consonants (without a vowel between them), you may generally assume a Mukta sound between them.

Example: sq s + q s + mukta + q sq S T S + T S + a + T SaT Truth

mq m + q m + mukta + q mq M T M + T M + a + T MaT Wisdom

mn m + n m + mukta + n mn M N M + N M + a + N MaN Mind

The sound MUKTA is always short, like the sound of the U in Bus.

KANA is a LONG open vowel, pronounced like the A of Far, with the jaw dropping down.

The sounds of Mukta & Kana are quite different. Yet they are often confused by Westerners. Compare the sound of bus (mukta) and of far (kana) in English.

LONG and SHORT VOWELS: Learn from the onset this basic dividing line between Gurmukhi vowels. It is crucial for the proper pronunciation of Guru Granth Sahib and is key to the rhythm of the language as well as its meaning. means mn mind; mwn means honor.

nwm n w m nw m NAM N A M NA M

r Rarra is an r sound like the tt sound in the word kitty.

rwm dws Ram Das, the slave of God. Broken down into its R A M D A S components RA MA DA SA means Sun Moon Thou Infinity

rw m dw s RA M DA S

r is the Gurmukhi R. It is not at all pronounced like the English or American R. However, it is almost identical in sound to the way Americans pronounce T or D in kitty and ladder. City equals Siri! r is rolled.

d is a gentle D sound PRONOUNCED WITH NO ASPIRATION. The tongue is curled against the inside of the upper teeth as in q and n.

STRESS

When you say the word President, you always emphasize (place the stress, the accent) on PRE. PREsident. If you say preSIdent or presiDENT, you will immediately identify yourself as a foreigner.

Similarly in Gurmukhi it is necessary to place the stress on the proper part of the word to respect the basic sound current of the language.

In Gurmukhi the stress falls on the first long vowel in a word. If there is no long vowel, the stress will be on the first syllable of the word.

Another comment: in Gurmukhi there is a tendency to emphasize the first syllable even if the major emphasis is on a long vowel later in the word.

Let us clarify this statement.

1. If a word is made up of two or more short vowels, the stress ALWAYS falls on the first one. drsn d r s n Da Ra Sa Na (Darshan, vision of a saint) S S S S (S- Short Vowel) STRESS

2. If a word is made up of two or more long vowels, the stress always falls on the first one.

rwmw rw mw RA MA L L (L-Long Vowel) STRESS

3. If a word contains both short and long vowels, the stress will always fall on the first LONG syllable. rsnw r s nw Ra Sa NA (tongue) S S L STRESS mwrn mw r n MA Ra N (to beat, to kill) L S S STRESS

When a word ending with a consonant is followed by one that begins with a consonant, it is natural to pronounce a slight Mukta between them.

VOWEL PRACTICE

I. MUKTA & KANA

Listen for the difference between Mukta and Kana. Get a feel for each sound by imitating the speaker as closely as possible.

a. sq nwm sqnwm Truth Name Truth (is his) Name

b. Words with Mukta sq mn dq mq rqn drsn qn dr Truth Mind gift spiritual jewel darshan body court wisdom c. Words with Kana rwm dws mwn dwq dwqw mwqw qwr Awd God slave honor alm gift mother string beginning

d. Contrast: repeat, consciously differentiating between Mukta and Kana.

mn – mwn dq – dwq sq – rwq mq – mwqw qn – qwn qn – dwn

SIAREE & BIAREE

i is called Siaree. It is a short vowel similar to the I in sit or pit.

isr i s r is r (head) is pronounced Sir i s r iS R Siaree is a SHORT closed vowel.

Siaree is written to the left of the consonant after which it is sounded. In other words, is is pronounced Si, NEVER iS.

I is called Biaree. It is a LONG vowel pronounced as ee in see.

mIq m I q (friend, intimate) M EE T

VOWEL PRACTICE II. SIAREE & BIAREE

Listen and Repeat: a. isr mIq isrI head friend infinite

b. inq ijq idn iqn iml ijn daily who day who meet who

NOTE: j is a gentle J sound pronounced without any air behind it.

c. mIq qIr mInw jIq dIn sIql sIqw jI friend arrow fish victory meek cool Sita being

d. Contrast imq - mIq, ijq – jIq, idn – dIn, iqn - qIr, isq - sIqw

ONKAR & DULAINKAR

gurU introduces the 2 u sounds, u onkar and U dulainkar, and the consonant g gagga.

g Gagga is a G sound pronounced in the back of the throat with no aspiration.

u Onkar is a short vowel pronounced with lips forward as U in put.

gur g u r gu r GuR G u R Gu R

U Dulainkar is the long counterpart of Onkar. It is closed and pronounced by rounding the lips as OO in mood.

guruU g u r U gu rU GuRoo G u R OO Gu ROO

Hereafter Dulainkar will be transliterated as U.

Guru is the dispeller of darkness. “Guru is the known recognized radiance of infinity already installed. Guru is the Grace, Guru is the Altar where you see your own soul.” - Siri Singh Sahib ji, 1975

VOWEL PRACTICE

III. ONKAR & DULAINKAR

a. mul mUl gurU worth origin, root principle Guru, dispeller of darkness

b. gur suq duK suK muK ruqI sun wisdom son pain peace mouth season listen

c. sUq dUK sUK dUjw AjU qU sUr hdUr thread pain peace second unborn thou sun present

d. Contrast gur – gurU, suq – sUq, mul – mUl, duK – dUK, suK – sUK, sur – sUr

LANV & DULANV

qyrw qy rw (Thy or Your) TERA TE RA Lanv y is a LONG half-closed vowel pronounced L L somewhat as A in Gate. It closely resembles the Spanish STRESS E sound and the French é sound.

hY (Is, as in he is) H AI

Y Dulanv is a LONG half-open vowel. Its sound is between the first E in elephant and the A in cat (French è and AI).

h is the equivalent of the English H in the word Heart.

Lanv and dulanv change the meaning of a word. For example, myl means union, while mYl means dirt.

VOWEL PRACTICE

IV. LANV & DULANV

a. myl mYl qyrY union dirt to thy

b. qyg qyrw myrw vyK jyq qyj eyk jy Anyk vylw sword thy my see victory energy one if many time

c. hY kY jY khY krY mwnY jwnY skY AwvY is to hail he says he does he honors he knows he can he comes

d. Contrast of Lanv & Dulanv myl – mYl, hy – hY, jy – jY, kry – krY, sky – skY, khy – khY,

myry – myrY, mry – mwrY

e. Contrast of Siaree & Lanv ijq – jyq Aink – Anyk iml – mYl ivK – vyK isK – syK ilK – lyK who - victory many meet - union sell – see Sikh - Sheik write – writing

HORA & KANAURA

Hora o is a long half-closed vowel pronounced by rounding the lips. It is similar to O in Hope or the French O in hote.

nmo n m o n mo Namo means I call or I bow

N M O N a M O Na MO

Kanaura is the last LONG vowel. It is half-closed and is between the AW in claw and the OU in sound.

kOr k O r kOr Princess is the name Guru Gobind Singh KAUR K AU R KAUR gave to Sikh Ladies to ever remind them of their Grace and their beauty.

VOWEL PRACTICE

V. HORA & KANAURA

a. nmo kOr I bow Princess

b. hor jor rog sog jog Amol moK joq more power illness suffering yoga priceless liberation light

c. kOr hOlI AOKw sOKw sOnw sO kO Princess light difficult easy to sleep

d. Contrast of Hora & Kanaura kor – kOr so – sO sog – sOKw moK - sOlw ko – kO horw – jOlw

e. Contrast of Kana & Hora kwr - hor jw –jo mw – moh sw – so mwn – mon jwn – jon

f. Contrast of Onkar & Hora mul – mol muK – moK suK – soK jug - jog

SECTION TWO: VOWEL BEARERS a OORA A AIRA e IRI

The vowel signs are not able to stand on their own. They must always follow a consonant. Example: rwmw RAMA

When a vowel cannot follow a consonant it needs one of the vowel bearers as a support. A vowel needs a vowel bearer when it is found:

1. at the beginning of a word 2. by itself 3. following another vowel.

The three vowel bearers a A and e have no sound of their own. OORA AIRA IRI

Let us use IRI e as an example:

Add i to e make the sound ie i

Add I to e make the sound eI EE

Add y to e make the sound ey E

THE CASE OF MUKTA: The vowel bearer A Aira when it occurs without another vowel attached is used to make it clear that the sound of Mukta is to be pronounced. Remember that Aw , however indicates the sound of Kana.

Amr means immortal, whereas mr means to die

Without the vowel bearer it would be impossible to guess the presence of the initial mukta.

Each vowel has ONE SPECIFIC VOWEL BEARER ASSIGNED TO IT. They are not interchangeable.

Mukta A Kana Aw

Siaree ie Biaree eI

Onkar au Dulainkar aU

Lanv ey Dulanv AY

Hora E Kanaura AO

READING PRACTICE VI. Names of Five of the Gurus:

gurU nwnk dyv jI

guruU Amr dws jI

guruUu rwm dws jI

gurU Arjn dyv jI

guruU hir rwie jI

READING PRACTICE – VOWEL BEARERS

a. Akwl Awp Awd Ardws undying himself primal prayer b. iek mweI one mother c. aumr aUtm inrBau age high fearless d. EAM AOKw Ong difficult

KEY WORDS FOR VOWEL SOUNDS

Be able to read, pronounce and write these key words. Use them as your foundation and for quick reference.

Mukta and Kana: sq nwm

Siari and Biari: isrI

Onkar and Dulainkar: gurU

Lanv: dyv

Dulanv: hY

Hora: nmo

Kanaura: kOr

qU myrw ipqw qU hY myrw mwqw (p= P) TU MERA PITA , TU HAI MERA MATA You my father, you are my mother (You are my father and you are my mother) gur rwmdws rwKhu srnweI (K= aspirated Kh) GuR RAMDAS RAHKO SaRNAI

Guru Ram Das give us your protection

PRACTICE FROM GURU GRANTH SAHIB & DASVAM GRANTH

Listen to these excerpts carefully and repeat them, melodically placing the accent in the proper places. Frequent listening and repetition will teach you the proper flow, rhythm and feeling for the reading of Siri Guru Granth Sahib.

nmo kwl kwly] nmo srb pwly] I bow to the death of death I bow to the protector of all.

nmo gIq gIqy] nmo qwn qwny] I bow to the Song of songs. I bow to the sound within the sound.

nmo dwn dwny] nmo mwn mwny] I bow to the gift of gifts. I bow to the honor of honors.

nmo rwj rwjy] nmo swj swjy] I bow to the King of Kings. I bow to the molder of forms.

nmo roK roKy nmo soK soKy I bow to the most harsh of the harsh. I bow to the brightest of the bright.

Awid rUp Anwid mUriq Ajion purK Apwr] Thou art the Primal Form, Image before the beginning, Unborn, Infinite Being.

eyk mUriq Anyk drsn kIn rUp Anyk] One images many darshan made forms many.

He is One appearing manifold. He has manifested himself in many forms.

-Excerpts from Guru Gobind Singh’s Jaap Sahib

drsn dyK jIvw gur qyrw] Seeing your Darshan I live, o Guru.

Awdysu iqsY Awdysu] My obeisance is unto him

Awid AnIlu Anwid Anwhiq jugu jugu eyko vysu] He is the Primal One, Pure, without beginning, without end; through all ages He is One.

-Excerpts from Guru Granth Sahib

SECTION THREE: CONSONANTS

The Gurmukhi alphabet can be read row by row. Each row indicates a specific position in the mouth where you begin to pronounce the letter.

ROW 1 a OORA A AIRA e IRI s SASSA h HAHHA

As we saw in the section devoted to the vowel signs, the vowel-bearers have no sound value of their own. When needed they serve as support for the vowel signs.

The other two letters of this first row are s and h They have their equivalent in English S in sit and H in hut.

CONSONANT PRACTICE

Carefully listen and repeat. SASSA s

a. Initial position sq srn sIql suK sUq sIqw suAwmI truth protection cool peace thread Sita master

b. In middle position vsY nsY drsn hosI he abides he destroys darshan He shall be

c. In final position hs js Awdys rs bs Ardws laugh praise obeisance juice enough prayer

h HAHHA

a. In initial position only; other cases will be covered later.

hwl hs hrI hr hIrw hukm hyq hm hor condition laugh Hari each diamond command love we more

ROW 2: VELAR LETTERS k KAKKA K KHAKHA g GAGGA G KAGGHA | NGANGA

The second row is made up of the velar letters which are pronounced in the back of the throat.The letters in this and the following five rows are called stops that is to say that the air is briefly stopped and then passes through with a small explosion. k KAKKA k is a K sound pronounced from the back of the throat with no air being pushed behind it. The throat remains closed and the vocal cords do not vibrate (voiceless), i.e. you can whisper it. kwr Creation kw r KA + R L S STRESS

In English we normally put aspiration (air) behind the Stop letters (K, G, CH, J, T, D, P, B). This is not the case in Gurmukhi. The first letter of each pair is unaspirated, the second one is aspirated. To know whether you are aspirating a letter, use a candle or the palm of your hand. Pronounce the letter. If the candle flame wavers or if you feel air in your palm, the letter is aspirated; if not, it is not.

K KHAKHKHA K represented by the English letters KH is a strongly aspirated KH coming from the back of the throat. It is similar to the sound of K in KEEP UP! if you say it very forcefully. Note that it is one sound KHa, not KaHa.

Kwlsw is a word of Persian origin meaning PURE ONES. It is the family of saint soldiers begun by Guru Gobind Singh.

K w l s w Kw l sw KH A L S A KHA L SA L S S STRESS

19 g GAGGA g is much like the English G in against. It has no aspiration and the throat remains closed as it is pronounced.

GKAGGHA will be covered later | NGANGA

| is a nasal sound pronounced as NG in hang. It is created like a G from the back of the throat, but it resonates in the nasal cavity. It is fairly rare in its use. i| Aw n i| Aw n NG I A N I + NG + A + N Basic Understanding

CONSONANT PRACTICE – VELAR CONSONANTS k Kakka a. kw kI ky kY ko krqwr kwr kIrqn krm of of of to Someone creator creation kirtan karma

b. Akwl Akwr Akrm Akwmy iqskw undying creation without karma desireless whose c. nwnk lok iek Nanak people One

K Khakhkha a. Kwlsw Kus Kwilk Kwlk KojY Kwnw Pure ones happy creation Creator he searches to eat b. rKo vyKY dyKY AwKY Protect he sees he sees he speaks c. muK duK suK purK vKq mouth pain peace being time

CONTRAST OF k and K kwr – Kwr kwm – Kwm kwn – Kwn kO – KO kq – Kq g Gagga a. gur guruU gun gIq grb grIb gq gur guru virtue song pride pauper state, condition b. jugq jgq jogI jgdIs way world yogi World Lord c. jog sog rog Yoga grief illness

ROW 3: PALATAL LETTERS c CHACHA C CHHACHHA j JAJJA J CHAJJHA \ NYANYA

The third row is made up of the Palatal letters. They are pronounced by touching the upper surface of the tongue to the upper palate, while the tip of the tongue touches the inner surface of the lower front teeth. (C Chhachha is an exception to this; the tongue is curled up, the tip touching the upper palate.) c CHACHA c is a very soft ch sound pronounced with very little aspiration. It resembles the sound of TYATYA. c r n s c r n CH a R N Cha Ra N foot S S S STRESS C CHHACHHA C is similar to CH in the word child. It is always strongly aspirated. THE TONGUE IS CURLED UP!

Cw Shadow CHHA

21 j JAJJA j is a soft J sounding between DYADYA and JAJA. p is a non-aspirated P. j p jp is meditative reptition. Ja P

J CHAJJHA is a unique Indian sound covered in a later section. \ NYANYA

\ is a rarely used letter. Its English equivalent is NYANYA as in Union.

CONSONANT PRACTICE – PALATAL CONSONANTS c Chachcha a. cl crn icq cIq cwqirk icr cwr cqrweI go feet mind mind piedcuckoo time four cleverness b. scw vIcwr Acl true reflect immovable c. ivc sc nIc in true mean, low

C Chhachha a. Cw Cwm Cwl CirAw Cy Curw shadow ashes six knife b. ACw ACUq ACY CYC ieC kCU excellent ungraspable imperishable desire something c. ikC mlyC something wretch

CONTRAST OF c and C

Acl – AwCw rcw – rCw pcI – pCw Immoveable excellent creator – protector j Jajja a. jog jor joq jn jwnY jgq jugq jl jIq yoga power light person he knows world way water victory b. Arjn AjUnI dUjw vwjy immortal unborn second they play c. sUrj qyj rwj kwrj sun energy king affairs

ROW 4: RETROFLEX LETTERS t TAINKA T THATHTHA f DADDA F TADDHA x NANNA

The next row of letters (the fourth row of the alphabet) is uniquely and typically Indian. The letters are called retroflex (reverse flexing of the tongue). To pronounce them curl your tongue so that the curled tip touches the upper soft palate; then pop the tip of the tongue forward as you pronounce the letter. t TAINKA t is an unaspirated T pronounced in this retroflex position. k t kt ml jnm jnm dI ktIAY Ka T cut The dirt of lifetime after lifetime is removed.

T THATHTHA T is a retroflex aspirated T. It is NOT the English TH, but a forceful T, as when yelling out “Timber!” pw T pwT Reading of Sacred Books PA TH

23 f DADDA f is a gentle D pronounced in the retroflex position with no aspiration.

Co f Cof to abandon, to leave CHHO D Awp Cof bynqI krhu (=kro) Leave the self and make a supplication! (forget the self and pray to the Lord)

F TADDHA is covered in a later section. x NANNA x is an N sound pronounced in the retroflex position. It is not aspirated. s u x sux sux ry mnw S u N SuN Listen o my mind!

When you understand how to pronounce the retroflex letters, make a practice of repeating them often to train your tongue to this new activity. Try to speak sentences where all the Ts, Ds and Ns are retroflex; you will sound like an Indian student who is beginning to learn English!

CONSONANT PRACTICE – RETROFLEX LETTERS t Tainka a. tyk tk tr tusI tor tIp support cut boasting gate raising your voice b. kotI mwtI mtkw cwtw millions potter pitcher wishes c. Et kot mt tut kt protection million soil break cut

T Thaththa a. Tg Tw TIk–Twk Twkur Tuk thug place OK Lord respect

24 b. pTw kTw kTn nyTI sinew bundle difficult c. pwT gT AwT reading knot eight f Dadda a. fr fwr fus fITw fOl fl fs ifg fear flock seen manner bite fall b. vfw aufY great he flies c. Cf vf auf jyvf leave great fly how great

ROW 5: DENTAL LETTERS q TATTA Q THATHTHA d DADDA D TADDHA n NANNA

The letters in the next row, the fifth row, are known as dental letters. Listen for their specific sound on the recording as they are, as usual, somewhat different from their English counterparts.

The tongue is placed with its edges curled inside of the upper teeth. In English the tongue is less tight and placed slightly higher. q TATTA q is a non-aspirated T, already covered in the vowel section. sq

Q THATHTHA Q is pronounced from the same place as q but with strong aspiration k Qw When someone speaks in Gurdwara on spiritual topics it is called kQw. Ka THA Q is NEVER pronounced as TH in “thin” or in “this”. S L STRESS

25 d DADDA d is a dental D, tongue in this same position. It is a gentle sound. d w s gur rwm dws rwKo srxweI D A S Guru Ram Das Rakho Sarnai. Guru Ram Das protect us.

D TADDHA

D is a uniquely Punjabi sound which will be covered later. n NANNA n is a soft dental N covered in the Vowel section. nwnk nw n k jn nwnk dws qmwry jIE. N A N K NA Na K The person Nanak is your slave, o respected one. L S S STRESS

CONSONANT PRACTICE – THE DENTAL LETTERS q Tatta a. qn qv qyrw qIr qU iqs qul qyj qyg body thy thy arrow thou who worth energy sword b. siqAw Awqm krqwr dwqwr mwqw existence soul creator giver mother c. mq dq sq ruq hyq jIq mIq wisdom gift truth blood love victory friend

Q Thaththa a. Ql Qwn Qky Qp Qwp Qwl Qn earth place tired pat establish metal plate place

26 b. kQw iqQY swQY kQnI AQwh mQw speech there with spoken unfathomable forehead c. swQ kQ pQ mQ with speak path churn

CONTRAST of q and Q qn – Qn qwl – Qwl krqwr – kQw dwqy – swQy mq – mQ pq - pQ sq – swQ krqw – Aqwh d Dadda a. dws drsn dwqw dUjw dyv dr ds duK slave darshan giver other transparent court say pain b. hdUr sdw Ardws ndr present ever prayer grace c. kd Awd jugwd sd Anhd joD when beginning through the ages ever unheard warrior

n Nanna a. nwm nwd nwnk nIc inrml ndr nhI nmo name sound Nanak low stainless grace not I bow b. AnIl Anwd Anwhq AjUnI inrnwmy pure without beginning without end unborn nameless c. igAwn qn mn drsn dyn mwn jn understanding body mind darshan gift honor person

CONTRAST of q and t a. qyrw – tyk qusI – tusI qwr – tor b. Contrast of d and f dn – fn dr – fr ds – fs

27 c. Contrast of t and T tyk – Tg tor – Twkur tk – Tuk d. Contrast of Q and T pQ – pwT Qwl – Twkur Qn – Tg

x Nanna a. imlxw krxw suxo jwxY isrjxhwr AwpxI to meet to do listen he knows Creator his b. sux kvx pvx srx ivx gux prvwx listen who wind protection without virtue acceptable

CONTRAST of n and x sun – sux sulqwn – dIbwx mn – pvx ibn – ivx drsn – kvx mwnY – jwxY nwnk – bwxI

ROW 6: LABIAL LETTERS

The sixth row are labial letters, made with the lips. p PAPPA p is a P without aspiration. p u r K being pu r K P u R KH Pu Ra KH S S S STRESS P PHAPHA P is a strongly aspirated P. It resembles the sound of F, with which it is often interchangeable. To pronounce it, touch your upper teeth to the middle of you lower lip.

Pl fruit Pul flower PHaL PHul b BABBA b is like the English B, but it is not aspirated. Wise being bwbw bwbw ijsu qU dyih soeI jnu pwvY] O Father, whatever you give people obtain!

B PABBHA B is a special Punjabi letter which will be covered in a later section m MAMMA m MAMMA is the M sound already covered in the vowel section. nwm

CONSONANT PRACTICE – THE LABIAL CONSONANTS p Pappa a. pwl pQr purK prswd pwT pwxI pUry Protector stone being grace path water perfect b. Awpxw ispwh jwpY ipRqpwl his, your, my, their soldier he recites World-cherisher

Apwry aupdys ikrpw Infinite lesson mercy c. Awp jp Dup kwp rUp AnUp himself meditate sunny form beauty

P Fafa

Pyr Psy PkIr Pqyh Pl Pul iPr Purmwn Then fakir victory fruit flower then order

isPq sPul rPIk swP mwP jP praise clean forgiveness

b Babba a. bolo bwxI brmw bwhr bKsIs bYTo bIj bwg speak word Brahma outside blessing sit seed garden

29 b. srbw kurbwn dIbwn all sacrifice court c. srb swihb grIb all Lord pauper m Mamma a. mwqw mwP mUl mul iml myl ml mwl mYl mother pardon root worth meet union dirt wealth dirt b. Amr Akwmy inrnwmy Amul Awqmw undying desireless nameless priceless soul c. nwm swm kwm rwm Awqm krm Name desire Ram soul Karma

ROW 7: INDEPENDENT CONSONANTS

The seventh row combines the last five individual letters. X YAYYA X is a palatal sound, softer than the English Y, the tongue being more relaxed. Xo g YO G r Rarra r is an R sound which was covered earlier. It is made with the tongue as in “kitty”, never with the lips like an English R in green. gurU

Occasionally you will see a small rarra R attached to the bottom of a consonant. It can be pronounced before or after the consonant that it is attached to. You will hear it pronounced both ways. pRswd Prasad or parsad are both correct.

30 l Lalla l is an L sound as in the word Live. lw l n qU myry lwln] LA La N You are my beloved. L S S STRESS v VAWWA v is midway between the English V and W. To pronounce it, slightly touch the upper teeth to the middle of the lower lips and utter: vw ih gurU] vwihgurU] WAHi GuRu The mantra of ectasy. L S S L STRESS

Occasionally you will see a small vawwa (ex. qw) attached to the bottom of a consonant. v Simply pronounce it as you would a regular v.

V RARRA V is an R sound pronounced in the retroflex position. Touch the tip of the tongue to the roof of your mouth and pronounce an R. Allow the tongue to flap as if you said f. c V dI nwnk nwm cVdI klw] Cha Ra DEE Rising Nanak through the Name may all spirit be uplifted.

CONSONANT PRACTICE – THE INDEPENDENT CONSONANTS

X Yayya a. XogI Xygw Xwr Xwqrw Yogi yoga intimate pilgramage b. dXwl merciful

31 r Rarra a. rwm rYx rwq rUp royg ruqI rhY Ram night night form illness season he lives b. prswd purK hrI ndrI drsn drbwr krY Grace being Hari By His Grace Darshan court he does c. krqwr hr kwr hor Apwr jor kr Creator each creation more Infinite power to do

l Lalla a. lK ilK lgY lYA ilAw lY locY lwl 100,000 write he feels laya bring take he longs beloved b. Kwlsw imlxw pwlkI Pure Ones to meet Palki c. myl mYl ml mul mUl mwl union dirt dirt worth root wealth v Vawwa a. vwho vyd vf vl vIcwr vyKY Waho Veda Great towards me reflect he sees b. prvwn svAwmI kyvl jyvf Avqwr gwvY AwvY acceptable master only how great divine he sings he comes incarnation c. iqv ijv isv ilv qv as as Shiva longing thy

V Rarra a. pV mUV cV read fool rise b. cVdI piVAw hyVw icVI kpVw kuVI rising read she-sparrow cloth girl

THE PERSIAN SOUNDS S ^ Z z &

Three of the Persian sounds exist in English as Z, F and SH. The remaining two are found in French and Spanish.

S is the SH sound AwSrm Ashram

^ is the KH sound pronounced in the back of the throat with a grating or rattling sound. It is similar to CH in Loch Ness and to G in the Spanish pronounciation of General. rwj krygw ^wlsw] The pure ones will rule.

Z is a G sound also accompanied with a grating sound. It is very similar to the French R. ZYbyl ZYb hY] ZYb Mysterious Thou art the unseen mystery. z is the same as the English Z.

& is the same as the English F.

SPECIAL SECTION ON THE VOICED ASPIRATED STOPS

These are five letters which occupy a special place in Gurmukhi and represent sounds wihich are uniquely Punjabi. When you look at the table of the alphabet you will see that they are a column which is labeled voiced aspirated and include a sound from each of the velar, palatal, retroflex, dental and labial rows of consonants.

G J F D B KAGGHA CHAJJHA TADDHA TADDHA and PABBHA

Each is a distinct letter consistent with itself, regardless of its placement in a word. However, to the beginner’s ear they seem 1. to be indistinguishable from certain other letters, 2. to change depending on their position in a word.

Only careful listening and practice will train your ear and mouth. Whenever possible ask a native speaker to demonstrate and correct you.

To pronounce G prepare to say a forceful GH; then make a K sound with considerable tension in the back of the throat.

To pronounce J prepare to say a forceful JH; then make a CH sound with considerable tension in the back of the throat

To pronounce F prepare to say a forceful DH in the retroflex position; then make a T sound with considerable tension in the back of the throat

To pronounce D prepare to say a forceful DH in the dental position; then make a T sound with considerable tension in the back of the throat

To pronounce B prepare to say a forceful BH Then make a P sound with considerable tension in the back of the throat

This method of pronunciation applies at the beginning of a word, and for following a short and preceding a long vowel.)

D is not the same as q, nor G the same as k. Learn to hear the difference. Until you acquire the correct feeling for these sounds it is acceptable to pronounce them as

slightly aspirated.

These letters will be further covered in the section on Tone where you will learn to listen for the unique sound and tone these letters create.

CONSONANT PRACTICE – THE VOICED ASPIRATED STOPS

G Kaggha a. Gr Gt Gol Gwrq Gnyry GrIAY GoVw house heart sacrifice many created horse b. suGV bwGxI ibGx GwG pMGUVw perfect tigress obstacle experienced cradle

J Chajjha a. iJm JolI slowly b. buJY quJweI isJY mwJI he understands he succeeds c. buJ kuJ quJ AsUJ understand something thou

B Pabbha a. Bjn Bwg BUl BUK Brm Bgq Bog song fortune astray hunger doubt devotee pleasure of praise b. BweI BYx BwvY brother sister he pleases c. sBxw AByKy ABogy AByv ABIj all garbless d. loB sB greed all

D Taddha a. Drm iDAwn Dn path of righteousness meditation wealth b. ADwr inDwn prDwn quDno smwDI isDI support treasure supreme to thee Samadhi spiritual power c. quD irD isD inD buD swD thou wealth power treasure wisdom saint

F Taddha a. FFw FUMFq Fol FweI swFy taddha search drum two & half one & half b. buFw swFy mFyr myFw kF old man one & half ram take out

CONTRAST OF r and V pr – pV rrI – hyVw drsn – cVdI drbwr – kpVw

CONTRAST OF k and G

kr – Gr kot – Gol kurbwn – Gnyry Akwl – ibGx

CONTRAST OF g and G bwg – bwG jgq – ibGx sog – suG gur – Gr

CONTRAST OF q and D qn – Dn qIr – Dr qwr – Drm krqwr – ADwr

CONTRAST OF d and D dn – Dn ndr – inDwn dws – Dwr drbwr – Drm

CONTRAST OF t and F tor – Fol tIp – FweI tofI - FUFw

CONTRAST OF f and F vfw – FFw Cf – kF jyvf - buFw 36

READING EXCERPTS FROM JAP JI SAHIB vfw swihbu aUcw Qwau ] Great Lord High Abode- Great is the Lord, High is His Abode. aUcy aupir aUcw nwau ] High Over High Nam- Highest of the high is his Name. eyvfu aUcw hovY koie ] As High Would be Someone- One would be as High as He. iqsu aUcy kau jwxY soie ] That High to Knows One- Who would know how great He is. jyvfu Awip jwxY Awip Awip ] How great Himself Knows By Himself In Himself How great he is, he himself, by himself, in himself knows. nwnk ndrI krmI dwiq ]24] Nanak by Grace by Destiny Gift. ( 24th pauri) Nanak, by His Grace and by destiny only is the gift obtained.

****** Pyir ik AgY rKIAY ijqu idsY drbwru ] Again what before is to be placed which one sees the Court. Again, what offering could be made to gain admission to His court. muhO ik bolxu bolIAY ijqu suix Dry ipAwru ] From the mouth what words are to be spoken which hearing he extends love What word could one speak to win His love.

AMimRq vylw scu nwau vifAweI vIcwru ] Nectar hour true name Greatness deeply reflect. In the Ambrosial hours deeply reflect on the greatness of the True Name. krmI AwvY kpVw ndrI moKu duAwru ] On actions comes cover by (His) Grace liberation gate. Over your actions will come a cover of consciousness, and by his Grace, liberation.

nwnk eyvY jwxIAY sBu Awpy sicAwru ]4] Nanak thus is known all in himself the True One Nanak thus knows that the True One is all in all. (4th Pauri)

gurw iek dyih buJweI ] Guru One He gives it is understood. The Guru has taught me one thing. sBnw jIAw kw ieku dwqw All beings of One Giver There is one Giver to all beings. so mY ivsir n jweI ] Him by me not forgotten. May I never forget him. (at the end of both 5th & 6th Pauris)

EXCERPTS FROM ANAND SAHIB swcy swihbw ikAw nwhI Gir qyrY ] True Lord what not in house thine O True Lord, what is not in thy house.

Gir q qyrY sBu ikCu hY ijsu dyih su pwvey ] In house that one thine everything is whom you give he receives Everything is within thy creation, and only the one to who you give is blessed. sdw isPiq slwh qyrI nwmu min vswvey ] Ever praise praise Thy Name in the mind is enshrined. nwmu ijn kY min visAw vwjy sbd Gnyry ] Name whose in mind abided play sound many Those who hold the Name in their minds, are filled with divine music. khY nwnku scy swihb ikA nwhI Gir qyrY ]3] Says Nanak True Lord what not in house Thy Sayeth Nanak: O my True Master, what is that which is not found in Thy creation?

EXCERPTS FROM REHIRAAS

AwKw jIvw ivsrY mir jwau ] I speak I live I forget I die Repeating your Name I live, if I forget it I die.

AwKix AauKw swcw nwau ] To speak difficult True Name. To speak the True Name is difficult. swcy nwm kI lwgY BUK ] True Name is feels hunger Who feels a hunger for the True One’s Name. auqu BUKY Kwie clIAih dUK ] This hunger he eats it is gone pain His sorrow departs having been eaten by this hunger. so ikau ivsrY myrI mwie ] Him why one forgets my Mother Why does one forget him, O my Mother. swcw swihbu swcY nwie ] True Lord True Name True is the Lord, True is his Name.

SECTION FOUR: NASALIZATION

All Gurmukhi vowels can be nasalized, i.e. the vowel can be made to resonate in the nasal cavity. In English a similar process is to go from sick to sink, from sad to sand, from cat to can’t.

In Gurmukhi the nasalization is indicated with the two signs

M Tippi and N bindi

Ex.: sq becomes sMq Truth becomes Saint mw mwN Some vowels take tippi, others take bindi. This is not interchangeable. In general the short vowels all take tippi and the long vowels bindi. 39

(Exception: Onkar and Dulainkar take M tippi when alone and N bindi when with their vowel bearers.)

Please note that nasalization is not interchangeable with a nasal consonant. For example: sMd and snd are pronounced differently and have different meanings. sMd means wicked and snd means document.

When placing the Stress, a vowel signs with tippi or bindi assumes a LONG value regardless of its original value.

Ex: sq is short, but sMq is Long. In the word mMqRw Mantra the stress is on mM Man.

Tippi on a final mukta creates an “ang” sound. Ex.: nwdM is pronounced NADang

We are familiar with this in the words hrIAM krIAM in the Guru Gaitri mantra, sYBM in the Mool Mantra, and in the phrase gurmuK nwdM gurmuK vydM in Japji Sahib.

As illustrated below, nasalization adds the sound of the nasal consonant found in the same row as the letter following the tippi or bindi. sMq ( q Q d D n ) = Sa(N)t AMb ( p P b B m ) = a(M)B Mango isMG ( k K g G | ) = Si(NG)GH Singh

Nasalization Exercises sMq mMqRw AMdr sMg hrImMdr Saint mantra inside With Temple of Hari inrMkwr qMqRw jMq inrMjn Formless One Essence of Essence Being Stainless One

AMb AMqrjwmI ikqwbW mW kuVIAW Mango Searcher of Hearts Books Mother Girls

sWq isMG goibMdy Peace Lion who has conquered his animal nature Sustainer

ibRMd mINh suMdr huM krUM qUM ikEN Fulfillment Rain Beautiful am I do, I make Thou Why

ikENkI QoN hYN mYN inDwnYN nwdM Because from Thou art I treasure Sound current

vydM nmsqM sYBM eykEAMkwr Vedas I bow By itself One Creator-Creation

hrIAM krIAM Destroyer Creator

Practice reading Guru Gobind Singh’s Jaap Sahib and you will cover all Gurmukhi sounds.

EXCERPTS FROM JAAP SAHIB (continued practice with nasalization) nmo bWk bWky ] I bow to the ornament of ornaments goiNbMdy mukMdy audwry Apwry ] Sustainer Liberator Enlightener Infinite hrIAM krIAM inRnwmy Akwmy ]95] Destroyer Creator Nameless Desireless nmo ibRMd ibRdy I bow to the fulfillment of fulfillments.

AgMj hYN ] ABMj hYN ] AJUJ hYN ] AJMJ hYN] Thou art without disease, unconquerable, undefeatable, unshakeable. srbM pRwnM ] srbM qRwxM ] Life Breath of all, power of all. srbM hMqw ] srbM gMqw ] srbM iKAwqw ] He is the destroyer of all, Present Everywhere, discussed by everyone, srbM igAwqw ] He is the knower of all. jl Ql AmMf ids ivs ABMf ] On land and sea he is worthy of highest praise; In all directions above calamity jl Ql mhMq ids ivs ibAMq ] Worshipped on land and sea; Omnipresent nmo ieMdR ieMdRy ] nmo swNq rUpy ] I bow to the Indra of Indras; I bow to the embodiment of peace. nmo mMqR mMqRM ] nmo jMqR jMqRM ] I bow to the mantra of mantras; I bow to the jantra of jantras*; nmo iest iesty ] nmo qMqR qMqRM ] I bow to the object of meditation; I bow to the tantra of tantras. **

* Sacred symbols representing mantra ** Essence

SECTION FIVE: ADDAK

Addak is a sign written above and to the right of the letter it modifies. Its effect is to lengthen the value of the consonant. iclw becomes ic`lw ChiLA becomes CHiLLA S L L L Stress Stress

The syllable preceding a consonant modified by Addak is considered long regardless of the value of the vowel signs it contains. This naturally causes a shift in stress in certain words (see ex. above).

EXERCISES WITH ADDAK q`q v`fw p`g is`K h`Q m`q G`t pu`qr essence big turban learn hand Saint understanding son

Addak is not commonly found in Guru Granth Sahib. It is much more common in Dasvam Granth. Here are excerpts from Jaap Sahib. ik srb`qR dysY ] ik srb`qR BysY ] He is in every country, in every form. ik srb`qR rwjY ] ik srb`qR swjY He exists in all kingdoms, He is the creator of all 112 Jaap Sahib

AMimRq krmy ] AMibRq Drmy ] Nectar are Thy actions, eternal is Thy Dharma

AK`l jogy ] Ac`l Bogy] constant is Thy union, unceasing is Thy bliss. 74

Ac`l rwjy ] At`l swjy ] Perpetual is Thy kingdom, Unshakeable is Thy creation,

AK`l DrmM ] Al`K krmM ] Enduring is Thy law, Incomprehensible are Thy deeds. 75 c`qR c`kR krqw ] c`qR c`kR hrqw] Thou are the Creator of the universe, the destroyer of the universe. c`qR c`kR dwny ] c`qR c`kR jwny ] He is the Preserver, He is the knower of the universe. 96 43

SECTION SIX- ADVANCED: TONE IN GURMUKHI

One of the unique facets of any language is the patterned way in which the speaker’s voice goes up and down. This is known as intonation. Some of it is regulated by the meaning. In both English and Gurmukhi the voice normally goes up at the end of a question. There is another kind of tone intrinsic to certain languages. Chinese has a highly developed system of intonation. Certain Afrian languages have high and low tones which allow poetry to be played on drums and be recognizable to a native listener.

Gurmukhi has high and low tones which differentiate otherwise identical words and help give the language its characteristic sound.

These high and low tones are indicated in three ways: 1. With the voiced aspirates G J F D B 2. With the abbreviated form of h (HAHHA) added to certain letters. Especially nH mH rH lH VH 3. By the letter h (HAHHA) in the middle or at the end of a word.

TONE WITH THE VOICED ASPIRATES AND THE H LETTERS

At the beginning of a word it causes a low tone. myrw Gr my house iJm Slowly

Fol Drum

Drm Path of righteousness

Bjn Song of praise

The throat is tightened and there is a glottal shock in the back of the throat. This tension causes the note to go down. Listen carefully to the examples. There is a definite “feel” to these letters.

When one of the letters is between two long vowels or when it is doubled after a short vowels, the pitch of the voice rises on the vowel preceding the “aspirated” consonant. mwJI p`iVHAw written

After a short and before a long vowel, it causes a high tone on the long vowel. suBwg fortunate

At the end of the word it causes a High tone. sB all

Be aware of these rules so as to read correctly, BUT, learn their usage by listening to native speakers.

EXAMPLES FROM THE BANIS

Drm Dwm su Brm rihq ABUq AlK ABys ] He is the seat of righteousness, free from superstition, without mind, without comprehension without costume.

AMimRq nwm inDwn hY ] The nectar Name is the Treasure This is known as intonation.

duK BMjn qyrw nwm jI ] Lord, Thy Name is the destroyer of sorrows.

TONE EXERCISES a. After a long vowel mwJI sIJY bUJY b. After a short vowel and before a long vowel: buJY inrBau pRBU suBwg ADwr pVHweI he understands fearless Lord Good Destiny support taught c. Between short vowelss: buiJAw ABrm understood without superstition d. Final: sB isMG mwJ kF pVH irD isD buD all Singh Raga Majh remove read wealth power wisdom

e. Initial: iJ`m Fol Drm Bjn Gr slowly drum righteousness meditate home

READING PRACTICE FROM GURBANI DEMONSTRATING TONE jo quDu BwvY sweI BlI kwr ] what pleases thee is a good action. Jap-ji nmo Bog Bogy ] nmo BUp BUpy ] I bow to the enjoyer of treasures. Jaap 28 I bow to the king of kings. 63 pRBU hYN ] Gr Gir pRnwm ] Thou art the Lord. Jaap 63. He is worshipped in every home. Jaap 168.

DMn DMn rwmdws guru ijn isirAw iqnY svwirAw ] Blessed, blessed is Guru Ram Das, the one who made him has made him beautiful. quJ iBn dUjw Avr n koeI sYBM Without Thee there is no other. By itself (Himself)

AgMj hY ] ABMj hYN ] AJUJ hY] AJMJ hYN ] Invincible, unconquerable, undefeatable, unshakeable. Jaap 35.

AByKI ABrmI ABogI ABugqy ] Without any costume, free from superstition, without lust, without luxury. Jaap 53.

AnJMJ gwq His form is free from bewilderment. Jaap 169. kyiqAw dUK BUK sd mwr ] eyih BI dwiq qyrI dwqwr ] Pain Hunger always hit. This too gift thine Giver. Pain and hunger always come on a person. This too is thy gift, O Giver! biMD KlwsI BwxY hoie ] hor AwiK n skY koie] Bondage liberation at (your) will is. More say cannot someone. Bondage and liberation are according to Thy will. No one can say anything else about it. ifm ifm ifm ifmy Slowly, slowly slowly slowly,…

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS isK Drm BweI swihb ipAwrI BYx jI nwm iDAwvo Sikh Dharma Bhai Sahib Dear beloved sister Meditate on the Name rwm isMG [ DMn DMn isrI guruU gRMQ swihb jIau mwhwrwj [ Ram Singh Great, Great is Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

TONE WITH THE LETTER h HAHHA

The letter h is always pronounced as H at the beginning of a word. When in the middle or at the end, it indicates High or Low tones. Usage decides whether it is pronounced or not.

a. At the end of a word it causes a high tone on the preceding vowel; it is lightly pronounced. pwqSwh PATaSHAH Great King b. When it is preceded by a long vowel, there is a High tone on this vowel. bUhw door swihb Lord soihlw Song of praise, happiness c. Before a short and after a long vowel it causes a low tone. mhwqmw Great soul nhI no, not d. When surrounded by short vowels h changes their sound in the following manner. krih is pronounced krY with a high tone on Y nmh is pronounced nmY with a high tone on Y ikhVw is pronounced kyVw with a high tone on y bhuq is pronounced bhOq with a high tone on O auh is pronounced Eh with a high tone on E