A Grammar of the Telugu Language/Chapter I/Alphabet

by Charles Philip Brown

ON THE TELUGU ALPHABET.

Telugu like all languages of the India family is written from left to right like English.

To render the alphabet easy, it will be requisite first to explain the principles on which it proceeds. In dictionaries and poems the spelling differs slightly, as will be presently seen, form the custom of common writing. The pronunciation is unaltered.

Every letter has an initial form and a secondary form. Thus అ ఇ ఉ are the initial vowels A I and U. But as secondary forms these become (Telugu characters) ి ు the first two being raised above the line.

So the consonants క గ​ చ are K. G. Ch which in their secondary forms become (Telugu characters) (Telugu characters) (Telugu characters) being written beneath the line.

Thus some letters are written in the line, others above it, and others beneath.

Like the best Greek writing, imitated in modern printing, Telugu slopes what we call the wrong way. At least such is the modern fashion, used in all common writing, but the round hand, used in manuscripts of poems, is upright—not sloping backwards.

Consonants which are written on the line generally require that a vowel should be attached to them. Thus క గ​ చ by attaching vowels above them become క ka గ ga చ cha: or కి ki గి gi చి chi or కె ke గె ge చె che or కొ co గొ go చొ cho.

Sometimes a vowel is attached to the side, thus ు which is the vowel U. Thus కు గు చు are ku, gu, chu.

Here we see that the mark (Telugu characters) (which is ă) is attached to the consonant: it is certainly superfluous in sound, but is always used.

Yet there are nine consonants which form an exception. These are ఖ​ kha ఙ​ gna జ​ ja ఞ jna ట ṭa ణ ṇa బ​ ba ల​ la ఱ in which a is called inherent; that is it is pronounced without being written.

The mark (Telugu characters) written under certain consonants makes them aspirates: thus ద​ is D but ధ is Dh so ప​ is P but ఫ​ is Ph.

The names of the consonants are formed by adding ă or ā. Thus ద is called dă or dā; ధ is called dhă or dhā.

Sometimes the word కారం cāram (letter) is added. Thus ద is called దకారం dacāram, letter D.

A small circle ం or dot [ • ] is in some places used for N or M. Thus అంత or అ•త is anta అంగం or అ•గ• is angam which is instead of అన్త​ and అగ్గం.

The circle is usually formed like the English letter o. Thus అంగం is angam. But to distinguish it from the English letter, I shall frequently use the form ం in this grammar.

As certain consonants have the vowel a “inherent” so the consonant య ya has the vowel I inherent. For if written without (Telugu characters) the letter యి is i or yi.

The mark ా added to some vowels lengthens the sound. Thus క is short că but కా is long cā. Thus గా is gā and చా is chā. Thus కు becomes కూ kū.

As i is inherent in y, యీ is yī or ī like ī in machine, or ee in deep.

The letter ă అ is called అచరం, ă-caram, or letter A. but the sign (Telugu characters) ă is called తలకట్టు, or crest. The letter ఇ I is called ఇచరం i-caram: but the sign ి, ĭ, is called గుడి gudi or whirl. The letter ఉ U is called ఉచరం u-caram; but the sign ు is called కొమ్ము commu or horn.

Instead of cāram, the word త్వం twam is sometimes used. Thus these three vowels are at pleasure called అత్వం, ఇత్వం, ఉత్వం, ătwam, itwam, and utwam.

The mark ా is called దీర్ఘం dīrgham and is the common name for broad ā. Thus కకార​దీర్ఘం ca-cara-dirgham signifies కా cā.

Added to ు it lengthens the sound. Thus ూ is కొమ్ము దీర్ఘం commu dirgham or long U.

It takes another shape (Telugu characters) with gudi Thus కీ kī is called gudi dirgham or long I. Also with the vowels ĕ and ŏ. Thus కె కొ are kĕ, kŏ; but కే కో are kē, kō.

If two consonants meet, one is written without a vowel under the other Thus నక్క​ nacca a fox, కుక్క​ cucca a dog, బల్లెం ballem a spear, గుర్రం gurram a horse అచ్చు aççu a type: which are thus arranged: nacac; cucac; blelm; gurar; açç. Herein we see that the vowel A added to ç is superfluous, as has been pointed out. The letter క్ర​ is ca. Here (Telugu characters) is the letter R and comes between c and a. It is called క్రారావడి crārā vadi.

The letter (Telugu characters) is used in writing; but in printing it is more convenient to use the more ancient form (Telugu characters) which we may observe in some ancient inscriptions on temples.

The letter that stands on the line is first pronounced, then the one, or two, under it. Then the vowel above. Thus ప్ర​ is pra: and స్త్రీ strī, a women, also written (Telugu characters) that is sitr

Sometimes a consonant is marked as “silent” as no vowel is attached to it. The silent mark is (Telugu characters) or ్ added to the top of the letter instead of a vowel. Thus ప్వ్రదక్ pridhac (i. e. separately apart.) Here the mark written above K shews that it is silent. Thus also ల is the Letter L but by adding this sign it becomes ల్ as in the word హల్ hal; meaning a consonant. So అచ్ ach (i. e. a vowel.) Thus త T becomes త్ as in the word అవశాత్ avasát unexpectedly. The letter స​ becomes స్ as in the word హవిస్ haviss i.e. oblation. Thus ప​ or pa becomes ప్ as అప్ ap i. e. water. All these are Sanscrit words.

The letter న N assumes the form న్ in the word యంటన్ intan in the house, లొపలన్ lopalan within. This mark is called నకారపొల్లు nacāra-pollu.

The letter ర R when followed by another consonant sometimes adds it beneath, as in the word అర్చ​ arca (arac) or sometimes changes places with it and assumes this form ర్ thus అకర్ acar. So ధర్మం dharmam Dharamm may also be written ధమర్‍ం dahmarm. So కర్త​ carat carta, a lord, may be written క‍తర్ catar thus పూర్వం pūrvam (puravm) formerly, may be written పూ‍వర్‍ం puvarm. Either way the pronunciation is the same. This mark is called గిలక​ gilaca (literally a rattle, from a fancied resemblance in shape) or more usually వలసలిగిలక​ or వలపలగెలక which means, the gilaca on the right hand.

The letters of the alphabet appear very numerous, but the reason is that a separate character is used for each letter instead of using the same letter with two or three different sounds.

The consonants also are multiplied and have such a variety of forms, because they use a separate shape for each variety of sound. T has one form, and Th another (as in Greek) so K has one form and kh another. And this likewise happens in the Greek alphabet.

The spelling is easy as the letters when correctly pronounced never deviate from the sound given in the alphabet.

When a letter is written under the line it is larger than if written on the line.

When written, like English, with a pen, the Telugu letters have (what writing masters call) body strokes and hair strokes. But in writing with an iron pen on a palm leaf (the case with most Telugu manuscripts) there is no such distinction. This certainly tries the eye-sight; but the first type founders have imitated this old mode and accordingly all the printed letters are formed of hair strokes. This certainly ought to be remedied, and then Telugu type will no more strain the eyes than English printing does.

It is not the custom to separate the words. Thus a paragraph looks as if it was all one word. But in printing it will be found very easy to separate the words as is done in English.

The mark । is used to seperate lines of poetry; and elsewhere and ॥ equivalent to the comma and period. In some Telugu printing the English stops (,;.?!—) have been introduced with good effect.

A letter is called అక్షరం axaram. An aspirated letter is called ఒత్తు or ఒత్తక్షరం.

THE ALPHABET

Vowels.

అ ă ఆ ā ఇ ĭ ఈ ī ఉ ŭ (or (Telugu characters) ŭ) ఊ ū (or (Telugu characters) ū) ఋ rū ౠ rū ఌ lu ఎ ĕ ఏ ē ఐ ai ఒ ŏ ఓ ō ఔ au.

Consonants.

1. క​ ca ఖ​ kha గ ga ఘ gha ఙ​ gna
2. చ cha ఛ chha జ ja ఝ jha ఞ jna
3. ట ta ఠ tha డ da ఢ dha ణ na (hard)
4. త ta థ tha ద da ధ dha న na (soft)
5. ప pa ఫ pha బ ba భ bha మ​ ma

Miscellaneous.

య ya ర ra ల la ళ la వ​ va

శ sa ష sha స sa హ ha క్ష xa (Telugu characters) srī.

Numerals.

౧	౨	౩	౪	౫	౬	౭	౮	౯	౧౦	౧౮౩౭
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	1837.

The first 25 consonants are arranged in sets (called వర్గం vargam) of five in each: and on arranging these, as usual, in five lines we shall observe that the first and third letter in each line, is simple: but the second and fourth are aspirated. The simple letters are called hard, and the third letter in the same line is called soft.

Thus G is the soft form of K, and P is the hard form of B. Each line concludes with a nasal.

The expressions dentals, palatals labials hard, soft, &c. here omitted call for explanation in Sanscrit Gramars: but belong to the chapter on Sanscrit elision and permutation.

The Telugu alphabet is borrowed from that of the Carnataca or Canarese language: and these are as alike as French and English manuscript: yet the two languages are quite distinct.

Why some consonants are called hard and others are called soft will hereafter be shewn.

The forms given in the Alphabet are the capitals or first forms. The secondary forms will now be given, with the pronunciation.

అ short a as in about, around or like u in but or like e in enough. The second form is (Telugu characters) as in క ca ప​ pa.

Six of the consonants (ఘ​, ప​, ఫ, ష, స​, హ​, gha, pa, pha, sha, sa, ha,) have this written above them not being united, but separate. This serves to distinguish ప​ P from వ​ V and స​ S from న​ n.

In common writing the shapes of the letters vary considerably, Thus in writing the letters Ka and Ta, క, త, or Kĭ and Ti కి, తి​, the vowels (Telugu characters) and ి may be joined to the letter or may be written separate at pleasure.

Each of the first five lines of the alphabet terminates in a nasal.

But when thus is followed (without an intervening vowel) by a consonant of the same line, the nasal form is changed into ం Thus in the word Kinda (under) we do not write కిన్ద​ Kinad but కింద​. Thus in the word pamputa, to send, they do not write the p under the m but changing m into ం they write పంపుట.

In the Devanagari alphabet, as exhibited in Wilson's Sanscrit dictionary, the proper nasal is retained: but in Telugu this is not so easily intelligible: and therefore the ం (sunna or anuswaram) is substituted. Thus alancaram ornament, is written అలంకారం.