11. Thus we see that the Urdū native Alphabet (the Persian) contains three semi-vowel letters that may be either consonants, vowels, or diphthongs; and that there are three vowel-signs to mark either a short or a long vowel or a diphthong, as رَ (ra), را (rā), (
Urdu characters) (rai); رِ (ri), (Urdu characters) (rī), '(Urdu characters) (re)[1]; رُ (ru), (Urdu characters) (rū), (Urdu characters) (rau). The literæ tenues (soft letters) Alif (ا), Wāw (و), and Ye ((Urdu characters))are consonants if initial, as ات (at), اِت (it), اُت (ut); (Urdu characters) (wat), وِت (wit), (Urdu characters) (wut); یت (yat), یِت (yit), یُت (yut).
12. Besides these expedients for distinguishing the vowels, diphthongs and semi-vowels, the Arabs invented certain diacritical signs for notifying the proper pronunciation of letters, viz. three applicable to consonants and three to vowels. The consonantal are (1) the Tashdīd (ّ) to show that the letter is to be doubled; (2) the Jazm or Sukūn ((Urdu characters)) to show that the letter ends a syllable without a vowel after it, (as (Urdu characters) karm—not karam); and (3) the Waṣl ((Urdu characters)) placed over the initial (Urdu characters) (al) to show that the (Urdu characters) (l) is to be joined (in sound) to the previous word, e.g. (Urdu characters) (fi-l-ḥāl) 'instantly.' The vowel signs are Hamza ((Urdu characters)) to show the vowel is initial in a syllable, as (Urdu characters)(jur(symbol characters)at) 'valour'; Maddha ((Urdu characters)) that it is long, as (Urdu characters) (qur(symbol characters)ān); and Tanwīn ((Urdu characters) , or (Urdu characters)) that to a final vowel ṉshould be added in pronunciation, e.g. (Urdu characters)=itttfāqaṉ by chance,' (Urdu characters) (fauraṉ) 'at once.'
- ↑ (
Urdu characters) (ya), medial or final, if not preceded by its homogeneous vowel (Urdu characters) (i), is regarded as a diphthong, and = ai as in French, e.g. 'les' =' lait.'
