Pronunciation and Phonetics

Learning proper pronunciation can be done without much knowledge of phonetics, actually. A basic knowledge, however, helps to make pronunciation clearer and thus facilitates the process of learning how to speak a foreign language properly.

eAmbalam introduces a phonetic chart which is based on Dhevanagari script. The sounds of vowels and consonants and other speech sounds in Sanskrit and the languages which have completely or mostly borrowed from it can be covered with the help of the chart. A few other sounds common to some languages in this group and outside are also put in. Unique sounds of some languages are specified too.

Diacritical marks are used to aid perfect pronunciation. World over, these marks have been created and propagated by scholars to make understanding of the differences in speech sounds in different languages better. Team eAmbalam also has created a phonetic chart which helps even first timers to pronounce words accurately.

Our Phonetic chart is unique, comprehensive, learner friendly and is divided into four columns wherein:
  • In the first column, the letter is written with the associated diacritical mark.
  • In the second column, an example is given in Dhevanagari language containing the letter.
  • In the third column, an example is given in English, which contains the sound closes to the letter or instructions in few cases, to facilitate better understanding.
  • In the fourth column, an audio button is placed with the help of which you can hear the actual pronunciation of the letter.
An open minded approach with the above introduction and guidelines will definitely enable the user to understand the speech sounds of any language and pronounce it like a native, which is eAmbalam’s aim in this exercise.

  VOWELS  
Syllable Usage in Sanskrit Usage in English
A or a Aḍavu Arise
Ā or ā Ānanda Vast
I or i Indhira Sing
Ī or ī Īśha Meal
U or u U ṣhā Good
Ū or ū Ū rdhhva Boost
R or r Riṣh i Try
Ṛ or ṛ Ni ṛ uti Grr!
Lr or lr   Pronounce L and R together.
E or e Eka Ate
AI or ai Aikya Sight
O or o Ojas Robe
AU or au Audh ā rya Now
A M or am Śhiva m Drum
A HA or aha R ā ma ha Aha!
Syllable Usage in Sanskrit Usage in English
 

CONSONANTS
Syllable Usage in Sanskrit Usage in English
KA or ka Kavi Car
KHA or kha Khalu Mark -Him
GA or ga Gamana Gut
GHA or gha Ghata Ugh!
Ṅ A or ṅa Tura ṅ ga Ring
CHA or ca Chakra Chart
CHHA or cha Chhandas Branch
JA or ja Jagath Jug
JHA or jha Jhallari Fudge
NYA or nya Gnyana Knew
Ṭ A or ṭ Ṭ anka Top
ṬHA or ṭha Pāṭha Pothole
ḌA or da Ḍ amaruka Dog
Ḍ HA or ḍ ha Mūḍ ha Madhouse
Ṇ A or ṇ a Ga ṇ a Wander
THA or tha Thanu Health
THHA or thha Athha Theater
DHA or dha Dha śha This
DHHA or dhha Dhhana m Dha with an additional H sound
NA or na Namask ā raha Nut
PA or pa   Path ā ka Past
PHA or pha Phala m P with a H sound
BA or ba Bandhhu Ball
BHA or bha Bhadra Abhor
MA or ma Manas Money
YA or ya Yama Yummy
RA or ra Rajas Rub
LA or la Lath ā Lust
VA or WA, va /wa A śh va or A śhwa Water/Valour
ŚHA or śha Śhakthi Shutter
ṢHA or ṣ ha Ṣh a ṇ mukha Shunt
SA or sa Sarasvatī Sun
HA or ha Hari Hum
Ḷ A or ḷ a Ar āḷ a Bold
KṢHA or k ṣ ha Ak ṣh i Try to pronounce Ka, Sa & Ha – all at one time.
Extra Vowels in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada & Malayalam Scripts    
É or é Éṇi Angel
Ō or ō Ō m Ō M
ZHA Exclusive to Tamil & Malayalam Fold the tip of your tongue backwards and try to pronounce it with the aid of the audio button.
Syllable Usage in Sanskrit Usage in English

Therapies and Cures

Healthcare practices have existed among civilizations since ancient times. In different cultures and regions these systems have developed in various ways.

Many medical systems such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Herbal remedies and Reiki developed prior to the era of modern medicine in the Eastern side of the world.

Orthodox Medicine as understood today is the mainstream tradition which was developed in the Western world since the 14 th Century. This system strives to uniquely identify conditions by their symptoms and establish evidence that treatments are affective for a majority of the population. It is also called biomedicine, Hippocratic tradition or allopathic medicine.

Many forms of alternative medicine focus on customized and holistic treatments and tend to look at the person as a whole rather than just the ailment. Some alternative practices also place a great emphasis on a person's emotional well being or spirituality as well as nutrition. Alternative medicine explores the stressors (environmental, biological, chemical, psychological, and emotional) in a patient's life that cause a weakening of a particular energy field; which in turn allows the manifestation of a disease condition in a weakened area.

In order to maintain a state of health, all energy systems within the body need to exist in a state of balance or equilibrium. Imbalance leads to conditions of discomfort (dis-ease) which eventually spirals into ill health if not corrected. The patient's immune system and the immune system alone is responsible for healing and recovery from ill health. The Chinese and Indians (Ayurvedic medicine) had worked all of this out thousands of years ago.

Medical science has historically grouped many of these treatments in the category of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) and has questioned the efficacy of the treatments due to lack of scientific study. Recently many of these treatments have increasingly been subjected to scientific study. While some have been discarded as mere superstitions, others have been adopted to varying degrees into mainstream medicine.

Interest in Eastern medicine whether as an alternative or to complement treatment of specific conditions is growing. Rising medical costs, a desire to treat naturally or seek alternatives to allopathic treatment of conditions, are leading to this.

In this section we feature some therapies and cures with inputs from such health practitioners.

Note: Alternate medicines and healing therapies are safe only in the hands of a qualified and experienced practitioner. With the right practitioner, alternative medicines can work effectively along with conventional therapies. Speak with your family physician and specialists whom you consult regularly before you embark on alternative therapies.

















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