Digital Dictionaries of South Asia A grammar, phrase book and vocabulary of Baluchi : (as spoken in the Sultanate of Oman)
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Notes on pronunciation

The letters and marks used to transcribe Baluchi into a Roman alphabet are given below. Examples of English equivalents and explanations are given to aid pronunciation. Letters annotated with a + are pronounced as in normal English usage.

Letter English Equivalent/Explanation
Short Vowels a as in the a of above
i as in the i of sit
u as in the u of put
______________________
Long Vowels ā as in the a of last
e as in the a of fate
ī as in the i of machine
o as in the o of boat
ū as in the oo of soon
______________________
Dipthongs ay as in the i of island, with the i pronounced short
āy as in the i of island, with the I pronounced long
aw as in the ou of scrounge, with the ou pronounced short
______________________
Consonants b +
ch as in the ch of chip
not as in the English pronunciation, but with the tongue pressed forward against the top teeth pronounced similarly to d but with the tongue curled up back on to the ridge of the palate
f +
g +
gh as in the Arabic letter ghayn. It has no English approximation
h +
j +
k +
kh as in the Celtic ch of loch
l +
m +
n +
p +
r as in the rolled Scottish r
has no English approximation, and is pronounced with the tongue curled up back on to the ridge of the palate. It is best approximated by substituting the letter ḍ
s +
sh as in the sh of ship
not as in the English pronunciation, but with the tongue pressed forward against the top teeth pronounced similarly to t, but with the tongue curled up back on to the ridge of the palate
w +
y +
z +
zh as in the z of azure

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