A Guide to the Pronunciation of Pāḷi
by
Ānandajoti Bhikkhu
Pāḷi is the beautiful language of the early Buddhist scriptures. It is based on an Indian dialect that was spoken in the area where the Buddha did most of his teaching, and therefore must be very close to the language that the Buddha used during his 45 years of teaching. Without any doubt the Theravāda scriptures, which are preserved in the Pāḷi language contain the most faithful record of what the Buddha actually taught, so for those who are earnestly striving to put the Buddha’s teaching into practice it is a great advantage to be able to read and understand the language of the text.
Pāḷi is notable for both its fluency and its rhythm, and there is no easier or quicker way to become acquainted with the language than through reciting the texts aloud, which will soon familiarize the student with key words and phrases which recur in the text, and at the same time will give a feel for the structure of the language. Below is an introduction to the pronunciation of Pāḷi, together with some notes to help clarify some of the difficulties that are encountered by those unfamiliar with Indian languages.
Ānandajoti Bhikkhu
July 2008
The Alphabet:
Vowels: |
a |
ā |
i |
ī |
u |
ū |
e |
o |
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Pure nasal: |
ṁ |
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Consonants: |
ka |
kha |
ga |
gha |
ṅa |
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ca |
cha |
ja |
jha |
ña |
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ṭa |
ṭha |
ḍa |
ḍha |
ṇa |
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ta |
tha |
da |
dha |
na |
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pa |
pha |
ba |
bha |
ma |
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Semi vowels, sibilant, and aspirate: |
ya |
ra |
la |
ḷa |
va |
sa |
ha |
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This is the basic pattern of all the Indian alphabets, and as can be seen, they are arranged on a very rational basis. First come the vowels (discussed below), followed by the pure nasal. Next come the definite consonants with their corresponding nasal sounds. These are organised according to their place of articulation, beginning with the gutturals pronounced at the back of the mouth, and ending with those articulated on the lips. Then come the indefinite consonants. There are five main difficulties for those unfamiliar with the Indian languages, which will be dealt with here.
Unlike English, for instance, the vowel system in Pāḷi is very precise, and the vowels are either short or long, with the latter being exactly twice as long as the former. It is important to distinguish the lengths of the vowels correctly, as
a |
as in another |
ā |
as in art |
i |
as in ink |
ī |
as in eel |
u |
as in under |
ū |
as in prudent |
e |
as in age (but before a conjunct consonant as in end) |
o |
as in own (but before a conjunct consonant as in orange) |
Only one letter is used to represent the sounds
The second and fourth letters in the consonant section of the alphabet (
In Pāḷi
The nasal sounds are all distinguished according to their place of articulation. This in practice causes few problems when the nasal is in conjunction with one of its corresponding consonants. But some of them (
Double consonants must be clearly articulated as two sounds, not merged into one, as is the tendency in European languages. When there is a double consonant it may help to imagine a hyphen between the two letters and pronounce accordingly. Therefore
To get a feel for the pronunciation and rhythm of the language it is strongly advised that beginners join in group chanting with people who are experienced in the language until they are able to manage the correct pronunciation by themselves. This will also help in familiarising students with certain basic texts.
Below is a guide to the correct pronunciation of the language, summarising the points discussed above, together with some further information regarding articulation.
a |
is short as in another, academic |
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ā |
is long as in art, father |
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i |
is short as in ink, pin |
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ī |
is long as in eel, seal |
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u |
is short as in utter, under |
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ū |
is long as in prudent, do |
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e |
is long in open syllables as in age, but before a conjunct consonant it is short as in end |
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o |
is long in open syllables as in own, but before a conjunct consonant it is short as in orange |
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ṁ |
is the pure nasal sounded through the nose |
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k |
as in cat, skip |
kh |
somewhat as in blackheath |
g |
as in gadfly, gate |
gh |
somewhat as in log house |
ṅ |
as in bank |
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c |
as in change, church |
ch |
somewhat as in witch hazel |
j |
as in jet, jaw |
jh |
somewhat as in sledge hammer |
ñ |
as in canyon, señor |
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The following sounds as noted but with the tongue drawn back, thereby producing a hollow sound: |
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ṭ |
as in tap, tick |
ṭh |
somewhat as in ant hill (never as in they) |
ḍ |
as in did, dug |
ḍh |
somewhat as in red hot |
ṇ |
as in know |
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The following sounds as noted but with the tongue touching the tip of the teeth: |
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t |
as in tub, ten |
th |
somewhat as in cat house |
d |
as in den, dig |
dh |
somewhat as in mad house |
n |
as in nip, nose |
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p |
as in pat, pinch |
ph |
somewhat as in top hat (never as in photo) |
b |
as in back, big |
bh |
somewhat as in abhorrence |
m |
as in men, mice |
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y |
as in yes, year |
r |
as in red, but with a stronger trill |
l |
as in lead, lend |
ḷ |
as before, but with the tongue drawn back |
v |
at the beginning of a word, as in van, vane, elsewhere it more closely resembles wan, wane |
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s |
as in say, send |
h |
as in hat, height |