BBKGALI GRAMMAR. j in Bengali, except when it is the last letter of a com- pound or has a dot under it 2 then it is y ; as, ^t^^> jdjaky a priest 5 Tf>5j, dantya^ dental ; ^f?^, kcuriydy doing. ? r, like r in rod ; as, ICtWi^ raj Ay a king. cf i, like I in Zawe ; as, ^^, ii5A, gain. ^ Wy b. This is properly v or w, but is always pronounced like b in but by the natives of Bengal, except when com- pounded with another letter, and then it is sometimes pronounced w ; as, ^t^tT> batasy wind ; ^t^, dwar, a door. »f shy like sh in shine ; as, *rt% sAap, a curse. ^ shy like si in vmon ; as, c*r^, sAe^A, end. T «, like s in «i7i ; as, Tt^, sar, essence. This is the proper pronunciation of the letter, but in practice it is pro- nounced much the same as the other two sibilants ; in fact the difference in the pronunciation of these three sibilants is barely perceptible. In Eastern Bengal they are often pronounced like h. In the combinations sty sthy suy sri and sr, s should be pronounced as in Englifih. ' ^ A, like h in heart ; as, ^^, hastay a hand. ^ q, is properly a compound of ^ and ^, and in Sanscrit, Marithi, &c. it is pronounced as such, Jcsha. It used to be regarded as the last letter of the alphabet, but modern grammarians regard it as a combination rather than a letter. It is pronounced like ka with a deep
- guttural sound ; as, Wt^y qdntay appeased.
