A Grammar of the Telugu Language/Chapter I/Sunna and half sunna, circle and semicircle

by Charles Philip Brown

On the Sunna and Half Sunna.

It has already been stated that the circle or cipher ం called sunna is used as a substitute for any nasal letter. But it is wrong to place it in conjugation with న N or మ​ M.

Thus the words anna elder brother and tammudu younger brother should be written అన్న​, తమ్ముడు Some persons write అంన​ తంముడు or even అంన్న​, అంమ్ముడు but these modes are disapproved. In the latter, which is in general use, the N and M are needlessly tripled.

In some particular words the sunna is inserted when required by rule. Thus తమ్ముడు tammudu may become తమ్మండు tammundu. The ం thus inserted is called ఆదేశసున్న​ ādēsa sunna.

When sunna is followed by a consonant of the first four classes (varga) it is N; but the remaining letters (P, Ph, B, Bh, M, Y, R, L, V, S, Sh, S, H, X) sound it as M and it likewise is M whenever it stands at the end of a word. Thus the word Sanscrit సంస్కృతం is pronounced Sams-cru-tam. The words సంవాదం conversation సంయోగం juncture సంశయం doubt are in like manner pronounced sam-vadam, sam-yogam (or, sayyōgam) and sam-sa-yam.

The words are Sanscrit: but in some Telugu words the letter ఁ called the half sunna, or semicircle is used by some grammarians, but in common use the circle alone is used: though it sometimes is pronounced full N as in the English word son, and elsewhere as half N as in the French word son.

In the ancient pronunciation of Telugu, which the rustic and uncultivated classes still retain, the nasal sound was very prevalent in Telugu: as it is to this day among the rural population of England. But in each country the educated classes have laid aside this disagreeable accent.

The nasal is preserved in many Telugu words: as వాడు he వీక​ strength, తోక​ a tail, కాక​ heat which the rustic classes write వాండు, వీంక​, తోంక​, కాంక​ a mode of spelling which we find in several manuscripts, but which is in common use laid aside The learned have attempted to reconcile this discrepancy by using ఁ the semicircle: thus they wish such words to be written thus వాఁడు, వీఁక​, తోఁక​, (Telugu characters)క. In like manner the forms చేయగా, పోవగా, రాగా, (doing, going, coming) are commonly written చేయంగా, పోవంగా, రాంగా. And grammarians wish to retain the semicircle చేయఁగా, పోవఁగా, to denote the slightly nasal sound: which answers to the indistinct N used in French or in the Hindustani language.

But this semicircle has never come into general use among the people, and it will be hard to prove the expedience of a refinement like this: which is discountenanced by most manuscripts of the poets and is entirely unprofitable.