Modified Roman - Kashmiri Sounds

The sounds of the Valley, transcribed in Roman script.

Consonant Phonemes of Kashmiri

Manner/Voice
Bilabial
Dental
Retroflex
Palatal/Velar
Stops

vl. unasp.

p
t
T
k

vl. asp.

ph
th
Th
kh

vd. unasp.

b
d
D
g
Affricates

vl. unasp.

ts
c

vl. asp.

tsh
ch

vd. unasp.

j
Fricative

vl.

s
S
h

vd.

v
z
Nasal, Trill, Lateral, & Semivowels

m (Bilabial)

m

n (Dental)

n

N (Velar)

N

r (Trill)

r

l (Lateral)

l

w (Semivowel)

w

y (Semivowel)

y

Examples (Consonants)

p
pakh ‘walk’, kapur ‘cloth’, pop ‘ripe’
ph
phal ‘fruit’, saphe:d ‘white’
b
bar ‘door’, akhba:r ‘news paper’
t
tarun ‘to cross’, katun ‘to spin’
th
thod ‘tall’, mathun ‘to rub’
d
dIar ‘window’, bãd ‘close’
D
Du:n ‘walnut’, gãDun ‘to tie’, yaD ‘belly’
T
Tu:kIr ‘basket’, raTun ‘to catch’
Th
Thu:l ‘egg’, miThə:y ‘sweets’
k
kan ‘ear’, kɔkIr ‘hen’
kh
khanun ‘to dig’, krakh ‘cry’
g
gardan ‘neck’, gagur ‘rat’
ts
tsa:s ‘cough’, natsun ‘to dance’
tsh
tshor ‘ empty’, gatshun ‘to go’
c
cuan ‘your’, necuv ‘son’ koc ‘unripe’
ch
cha:n ‘carpenter’, rachun ‘to save’, məch ‘fly’
j
ja:n ‘good’, paji ‘baskets’
s
sath ‘seven’, sastI ‘cheap’
S
Sakh ‘suspicion ‘, kə:Si:r ‘Kashmir’
z
za:lun ‘to burn’, pazar ‘truth’
h
hos ‘elephant’, reh ‘flame’
v
van ‘forest’, na:v ‘boat’
m
mas ‘hair’, kam ‘less’
n
nam ‘nail’, anun ‘to bring’
N
raNun ‘to dye’, zaN ‘leg’, raNur ‘dyer’
r
raz ‘rope’, ta:r ‘wire’
l
lu:kh ‘people’, za:l ‘net’
w
wan’ ‘now’, kh’ow ‘ate’, now ‘new’
y
yaD ‘belly’, ja:y ‘place’

Vowel Phonemes of Kashmiri

Front Unrounded

High (i, i:)

i
i:

Mid (e)

e

Low (ɛ, ɛ:)

ɛ
ɛ:
Central Unrounded

High (I, I:)

I
I:

Mid (ə, ə:)

ə
ə:

Low (a, a:)

a
a:
Back Rounded

High (u, u:)

u
u:

Mid (o, o:)

o
o:

Low (ɔ, ɔ:)

ɔ
ɔ:

Examples (Vowels)

i
imtiha:n, ‘examination’, bəni ‘sister’, sir ‘secret’
i:
si:r ‘brick’, jaldi: ‘quickly’, i:d ‘Eid’ (A Muslim festival)
e
reh ‘flame’, tre ‘three’, khe ‘(you) eat’
ɛ
bɛni ‘sister’, gɛni ‘wrinkles’, nɛni ‘meat’, jɛmi ‘in jammu’
ɛ:
hɛ: ‘hello’, bɛ:ma:n ‘dishonest’
I
akIl ‘wisdom’, gãdI ‘dirty’
I:
tI:r ‘cold’, I:Thim ‘eigth’
ə
əc ‘eye’,gər ‘watch’, nər ‘arm’
ə:
bə: y ‘brothers, phə:ydI ‘profit’
a
az ‘today’, par ‘read’, na ‘no’
a:
a:r ‘pity’, ga:m ‘village’
u
panun ‘own’, su ‘that/he’, kus ‘who’
u:
u:trI ‘day before yesterday’, su:d ‘ interest’, khu:n ‘blood’
o
on ‘blind’, son ‘deep’, pron ‘fair’
o:
ho: ‘vocative expression’, khɔda:yo: ‘Oh God!’
ɔ
dɔd ‘milk’, sɔ ‘she,’ kɔh ‘mountain’
ɔ:
s ɔ:d ‘one and a quarter’

Diphthongs of Kashmiri

ai

/hatai/ ‘vocative expression

/hai/ ‘vocative expression’

ɛi

/mɛi/ ‘I’

/tsɛi/ ‘you’

ua

/ual/ ‘nest’

/huar/ ‘there’

uI

/SuIr/ ‘female child’

/zuIr/ ‘grand daughter’

ia

/tsiar/ ‘apricot’

/niar/ ‘leave’

Ia

/dIar/ ‘window’

/lIar/ ‘cucumber’

u:I

/gu:Ir/ ‘mare’

/ku:Ir/ ‘daughter’

ə:i

/hatə:i/ ‘vocative expression’

/vanhə:i/ ‘(I) wanted to tell (you)’