Indopersica English-Sindhi Part 1

sɪndʱiˑ

ينڌسSindhi

indōpersica

Script

Part One

The Sindhi letters and words described in this book are each

accompanied by a pronunciation key in the International Phonetic

Alphabet (IPA). Please refer to these IPA keys for the exact

pronunciation of a Sindhi letter or word.

The IPA is a scientific notation used for accurately transcribing the

sounds of most human languages. More about the IPA can be

found at http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/ and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipa .

The similarities described in this book between the

pronunciations of Sindhi letters and ‘corresponding’ English

letters are only guidelines and should be considered as such.

http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipa

Read Sindhi right to left

4

k

ڪThis letter has a sound similar to

k in skip


5

ɡ

گ

This letter has a sound similar to

g in go


6

These are the letters we’ve just seen

ɡ k

ڪ گ


7

p

پ


p in speak


8

b

ب


b in bat


9

These are the letters we’ve seen so far

ɡ k

ڪ گ

b p

پ ب


10

ʨ

چ


tch in catch


11

ʥ

ج


dge in badge


12

These are the letters we’ve seen so far

ɡ k

ڪ گb p

پ بʥ ʨ

چ ج


13

ə

This sign has a sound similar to

a in America

This sign is written above a letter


14

This is how the sign for ə is written

ɡə kə

ڪ گ bə pə

پ ب ʥə ʨə چ ج


15

ɪ


i in pin

This sign is written below a letter


16

This is how the sign for ɪ is written

ɡɪ kɪ

ڪ گ bɪ pɪ

پ ب ʥɪ ʨɪ چ ج


17

ʊ


u in bull

Thissign is written above a letter


18

This is how the sign for ʊ is written

ɡʊ kʊ

ڪ گ bʊ pʊ

پ ب ʥʊ ʨʊ چ ج


19

Look at these sequences

made from the letters and signs we’ve just seen

ɡəɡɪɡʊ kəkɪkʊ

ڪ ڪ ڪ گ گ گ bəbɪbʊ pəpɪpʊ

پ پ پ ب ب ب ʥəʥɪʥʊ ʨəʨɪʨʊ

چ چ چ ج ج ج


20

Did you notice how the letters ‘join’ one another?

Here’s one of those letters, along with vowel signs –

kʊ kɪ kə

ڪ + ڪ + ڪ =

kəkɪkʊ

ڪ ڪ ڪ


21

Here’s another one of those letters,with vowel signs –

ɡʊ ɡɪ ɡə

گ + گ + گ =

ɡəɡɪɡʊ

گ گ گ


22

These letters join in similar ways –

pəpɪpʊ pʊ pɪ pə

پ + پ + پ = پ پ پ

bəbɪbʊ bʊ bɪ bə

ب + ب + ب = ب ب ب


23

These letters, too, join in similar ways –

ʨəʨɪʨʊ ʨʊ ʨɪ ʨə

چ چ چ + چ + چ = چ

ʥəʥɪʥʊ ʥʊ ʥɪ ʥə

ج ج ج + ج + ج = ج


24

Let’s try some more combinations of joining letters –

kəʨɪ ʨɪ kə

ڪ + چ = ڪ چ

ʥʊbə bə ʥʊ

ب ج + ب = ج

ɡɪpʊ pʊ ɡɪ

گ + پ = گ پ


25

j

ي


y in yo-yo


26

r

ر


r in Italian Roma

This is a ‘rolled’ /r/, as in Spanish or Italian


27

l

ل


l in lad


28

ʋ

و


v in victory


29


r j

ي ر

ʋ l

ل و


30

This is how the sign for ə is written on these letters

rə jə

ي ر ʋə lə

ل و


31

This is how the sign for ɪ is written on these letters

rɪ jɪ

ي ر ʋɪ lɪ

ل و


32

This is how the sign for ʊ is written on these letters

rʊ jʊ

ي ر ʋʊ lʊ

ل و


33



rərɪrʊ jəjɪjʊ

ر ر ي ر ي ي ʋəʋɪʋʊ ləlɪlʊ

و ل ل ل و و


34

Did you notice?

These letters don’t join the next one!

ʋəʋɪʋʊ rərɪrʊ

و و ر و ر ر

So, while most of the letters join the next one,

all of them don’t


35

These are some actual Sindhi words

Can you read them? –

ل گ ل پ ر پ ل ڪ

ج پ ڪ چ چ و ج چ

ر پ ل ب ج ڪ ڪ چ

ر ڪل ب پ ر پ گ ج

http://www.crulp.org/sed/WordDetail.aspx?wdid=58





36

Here are their pronunciations and meanings –

pʊlᶦ pərə ɡʊlʊ kʊlʊ

ل گ ل پ ر پ ل ڪ bridge but flower total

ʥəʥʊ ʋɪʨʊ ʨəkʊ ʨəpʊ

ج پ چ ڪ چ چ و ج judge during bite lip

kəkərʊ ʥəbalʊ ʨʊpᶦ

ر پ ل ب ج ڪ ڪ چ cloud mountain silence

kləbə pɪpᶦrʊ ɡəʥərʊ

ر ل ب ڪ پ ر پ گ ج club

peepul tree

(Ficus religiosa) carrot

Did you notice the superscript letter in the pronunciation key

for these words? –

pʊlᶦ ʨʊpᶦ pɪpᶦrʊ

This means that the vowel ɪ is pronounced very lightly, almost not at all






37

s

س


s in sit


38

ɕ

ش


sh in ship


39

ɦ

هThis letter has a sound similar to

h in hat


40


ɕ s

س شɦ

ھ


41

This is how the signs for ə, i and ʊ are written on these letters

ɦə ɕə sə

س ش ه ɦɪ ɕɪ sɪ

س ش ه ɦʊ ɕʊ sʊ

س ش ه


42



ɕəɕɪɕʊ səsɪsʊ

س س س ش ش ش ɦəɦɪɦʊ

ه ه ھ


43

These letters join in similar ways –

səsɪsʊ sʊ sɪ sə

س س س + س + س = س

ɕəɕɪɕʊ ɕʊ ɕɪ ɕə

ش ش س + ش + ش = ش


44

causes the pronunciation of certain vowels before and after it ه

to change slightly.

Rule

If the vowel immediately before ه ɦ is ə

then

ə ɛ

which sounds like

ai in fair

In other words –

əɦ becomes ɛɦ

əɦə becomes ɛɦɛ

əɦɪ becomes ɛɦɪ

əɦʊ becomes ɛɦʊ

Note that this rule does not apply

if the vowel immediately after ه ɦ is a long vowel.

We will come across long vowels later in this book.

Some pronunciation examples will make this vowel-change rule

a little clearer.


45

Can you read these Sindhi words? –

ر ب س ه س ه ل ڪ ڪ ج س س ش ر س س ه ڪ ھ ه ر ب س س

ب ب ر پ ه ر س ڪ ھ و ش ڪ ل ب ه ت ر ه ر ش چ پ چ س ش


46


sɪrə sɪbʊ kɛɦʊ ɦəlʊ

ر ب س ل ه ه ڪ س brick sew speak move, run

ɕəkʊ səsʊ sɪʥʊ rəsʊ

ڪ ج س س ش ر س س suspicion mother-in-law sun juice

ɦɪkʊ rɛɦʊ sɛɦʊ bəsᶦ

ب س ه س ه ر ڪ ھ a, one stay endure enough

səbəbʊ pɛɦɛrʊ ɕʊkʊrʊ ʋɪɦʊ

ب ب ر ر ه پ س ڪ ھ و ش reason wear gratitude poison

bɛɦᶦtərᶦ ɕəkᶦlᶦ ɕɛɦɛrʊ səʨʊ pəʨʊ

ت ر ه ب ل ش ڪ ه ر چ پ چ س ش better appearance, form city, town really, truly


47

z

ز


z in zebra


48

f

ف


f in fat


49


f z

ز ف


50


fə zə

ز ف fɪ zɪ

ز ف fʊ zʊ

ز ف


51



fəfɪfʊ zəzɪzʊ

ف ز ف ف ز ز


52

These letters look similar, and behave similarly –

rərɪrʊ rʊ rɪ rə

ر ر ر + ر + ر = ر

zəzɪzʊ zʊ zɪ zə

ز ز ز + ز + ز = ز

Neither of them joins the following letter, much like –

ʋəʋɪʋʊ ʋʊ ʋɪ ʋə

و و و + و + و = و


53

Here are some Sindhi words

containing the letters we’ve just seen –

ش ف ر ڪ لف

بز رف ب س

ر ھ گ ب ز ر ز

Could you read them?


54


kʊlfʊ fərɕʊ

ش ف ر ڪ لف lock floor

səbzʊ bərfʊ

بز رف ب س green snow, ice

bʊzʊrɡʊ zɛɦɛrʊ

ر ھ گ ب ز ر ز elder, senior poison


55

n

ن


n in new


56

m

م


m in mother


57


m n

ن م


58

This is how the signsfor ə, i and ʊ are written on these letters

mə nə

ن م mɪ nɪ

ن م mʊ nʊ

ن م


59



məmɪmʊ nənɪnʊ

م ن ن ن م م


60

Notice how these letters do not look similar when not joined,

but look similar when joined–

jəjɪjʊ jʊ jɪ jə

ي ي + ي + ي = ي ي

nənɪnʊ nʊ nɪ nə

ن + ن + ن = ن ن ن

Did you notice?

When joined, the only difference in

how they look is

the number of dots –

jənəjɪnɪjʊnʊrə

ي ن ن ر ي ن ي

In fact, when joined, ي j and ن n

look very similar to پ p and ب b –

pəbəpɪbɪpʊbʊrə

پ ب ب ر پ ب پ


61

Some more Sindhi words –

م م ڪ ن پ ن چ ڪ

م م م ر ن پ ش ل گ ر م ڪ

زن ن ر سم و ر ن م چ ج

لڪ م پ نج ر مب ن م ن ه ج


62

Here’s how they sound and what they mean –

ʨʊmʊ pənʊ kənʊ kəmʊ

م م ڪ ن پ ن چ ڪ kiss leaf ear work

pəɕəmə nərəmʊ ɡərəmʊ kəməlʊ

م م م ر ن پ ش ل گ ر م ڪ wool soft hot lotus

ʋəznʊ rəsmʊ ʨərənʊ ʥənəmʊ

زن ن ر سم و ر ن م چ ج weight custom foot birth

jɛɦɛnʊmʊ nəmbərʊ pənʥə mʊlkʊ

لڪ م پ نج ر مب ن م ن ه ج hell number five country


63

x

خ


ch in Scottish loch


64

ɣ

غ


r in French au revoir


65


ɣ x

خ غ


66


ɣə xə

خ غ ɣɪ xɪ

خ غ ɣʊ xʊ

خ غ


67



ɣəɣɪɣʊ xəxɪxʊ

خ خ خ غ غ غ


68

Notice the similarity in how these letters look?

ʥəʥɪʥʊ ʨəʨɪʨʊ xəxɪxʊ

ج ج چ ج چ خ چ خ خ

The only difference in how they look is

the number of dots


69

Can you read these Sindhi words? –

ل س ل غ ب ر ب غ م خ غ

ل ڪ خ ش خ رچ م ز خ ز غ


70

How many did you get right?

ɣʊsʊlʊ bəɣəlʊ xəbərə ɣəmʊ

ل س ل غ ب ر ب غ م خ غ bath armpit news grief

zəxmʊ xərʨʊ xʊɕkʊ ɣəzəlʊ

ل ڪ خ ش خ رچ م ز خ ز غ wound expenditure dry sonnet


71

t

ت


t in Spanish toro

To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue

touches the back of your front teeth


72

d

د


d in Spanish diez


touches the back of your front teeth


73


d t

ت د


74

This is how the signs for ə, ɪ and ʊ are written on these letters

də tə

ت د dɪ tɪ

ت د dʊ tʊ

ت د


75



dədɪdʊ tətɪtʊ

ت ت ت د د د


76

Notice the similarity in how these letters look?

bəbɪbʊ pəpɪpʊ tətɪtʊ

ت ت ت پ پ پ ب ب ب

The only difference in how they look is

The number of dots

The letters below look similar when joined, but different when not joined!

nənɪnʊrə jəjɪjʊrə tətɪtʊrə

ن ر ي ر ن ن ت ر ي ي ت ت

nə jə tə

ت ي ن


77

These letters behave similarly, in that they don’t join the next one –

dədɪdʊ dʊ dɪ də

د د د + د + د = د

rərɪrʊ rʊ rɪ rə

ر ر ر + ر + ر = ر

zəzɪzʊ zʊ zɪ zə

ز ز ز + ز + ز = ز

ʋəʋɪʋʊ ʋʊ ʋɪ ʋə

و و و + و + و = و


78

Here are some Sindhi words with the new letters we’ve just seen –

ت ل چ ر د ر د ت

د ڪ د ب ت م د ت پ س

د م س خت ج ت م س ت ل خ پ

فت ر م خت ل ف ن د شم ن رد گ د


79

And here’s how you pronounce them, and what they mean –

ʨɪtʊ dɪlᶦ dərʊ tɪrʊ

ت ل چ ر د ر د ت mind heart door sesame seed

bədəkə mədədə sətə təpʊ

د ڪ د ب ت م د ت پ س duck help seven fever

məsʥɪdᶦ səxtʊ xətəmʊ pɪtəlʊ

د م س خت ج ت م س ت ل خ پ mosque hard finished brass

mʊxtəlɪfʊ dəftərʊ dʊɕmənʊ ɡərdənʊ

فت ر ف ل خت م ن د شم ن رد گ د different office enemy neck


80

ʈ

ٽ


t in ash tray


curls right back and touches the roof of your mouth


81

ɖ

ڊ


d in rushed


curls right back and touches the roof of your mouth


82


ɖ ʈ

ٽ ڊ


83

This is how the signs for ə, ɪ and ʊ are written on these letters

ɖə ʈə

ٽ ڊ ɖɪ ʈɪ

ٽ ڊ ɖʊ ʈʊ

ٽ ڊ


84



ɖəɖɪɖʊ ʈəʈɪʈʊ

ٽ ٽ ٽ ڊ ڊ ڊ


85

Can you see how similar these groups of letters are,

in pronunciation and shape?

dədɪdʊ tətɪtʊ

د د ت ت ت د

ɖəɖɪɖʊ

ʈəʈɪʈʊ

ڊ ڊ ٽ ٽ ٽ ڊ

They are similar in terms of behaviour, too

t ت ʈ behaves exactly like ٽ

andڊ ɖ behaves exactly like د d

We’ve already seen the behaviour of ت and د on pages 76 and 77


86

Can you read this sequence?

لٽ لت لي لن لب لپ

You should have read –

pəlbəlnəljəltəlʈəl


87

Here are some Sindhi words with the new letters we’ve just seen –

ٽ ٽ ٽ پ ٽ ٽ پ س

ٽ ڊ پ س


88

And here’s how you pronounce them, and what they mean –

ɖəpʊ pʊʈʊ ʈʊʈʊ sʊʈʊ

ٽ ٽ ٽ پ ٽ ڊ پ س fear son break thread

mɪnəʈʊ məʈərʊ

ر ٽ م ٽ ن م minute green peas

That’s all for now.

See you in the next part!

End of Part One

Typeset in Segoe UI (English & IPA) and Lateef (Sindhi)

For more information on the Sindhi script and its history –

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/sindhi.htm

References:

Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing. Sindhi English Dictionary

http://www.crulp.org/sed/

Machida, Kazuhiko. Intensive Language Courses – Sindhi, ILCAA, Tokyo

http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/~kmach/html/aa_sindhi/vocabulary/vocab.htm

Mewaram, Parmanand. A Sindhi-English Dictionary

http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/mewaram/

Stack, George. A Dictionary – Sindhi and English

http://goo.gl/fcHGD

Wiktionary. हिनदी-हिनधी शबदकोश

http://hi.wiktionary.org/wiki/हिनदी-हिनधी_शबदकोश

v2012-12-13

©2011 – 2012 Arvind Iyengar. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/sindhi.htm

http://www.crulp.org/sed/

http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/~kmach/html/aa_sindhi/vocabulary/vocab.htm

http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/mewaram/

http://goo.gl/fcHGD

http://goo.gl/8e6le

http://goo.gl/8e6le

Education

Indopersica English-Sindhi Part 1