PRONUNCIATION RULES

The vowels, pure consonants and compound consonants have four types of sound values-

-1 = Lax; (pronounced with muscles of the tongue and jaw relatively relaxed)

0 = Neutral (the usual choice)

1 = Aspirated (Pronounce with aspiration; of stop sounds).

2 = Voiced (Produced with vibration of the vocal cords)

1.  RULE NO. 1 (word-starting rule)

When any member of Vowel or any permissible member of compound consonants occurs at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced at its zero levels of the neutral level. Members of consonants as well as members of compound consonants derived from ட்‚​ ர்‚ ற்‚ ழ், ள், ல், ண் & ன் cannot occur as the first letter.

க^oடல் (kadal) - sea, கா^oகம் (kāgam)- crow, கி^oளை (kiLai) - branch, கீ^oழ் (kīḷ) below, கு^oவளை (kuvaLai) - mug, கூ^oரை (kūrai) - roof, கெ^oடு (kedu), கே^oள்வி (kēLvi) - question, கை^oயாள் (kaiyāL) - servant, கொ^oலை (kolai) - murder, கோ^oள் (kōL) - planet, கௌ^oவல் (kauval) - catching with the mouth,

ச^oமையல் (chamaiyal) - cooking, சா^oணி (chāNi) - cowdung, சி^oல (chila) - some, சு^oண்டெலி (chuNdeli) - mouse, சூ^oழல் (chūḷal) - surroundings, செ^oயல் (cheyal) - action, செ^oவ்வாய் (chevvāi) - Tuesday/Mars, சே^oர்க்கை (chērkkai) - admission, சொல் (chol) - word, சோறு (chōRu) - cooked rice

Vowel consonants of ட் do not come as first letters but to accommodate foreign words it comes in the begining

ட^oக்கர் (takkar) - equal match, ட^-1ப்பா ( dappa) - a tin box, டி^oன் (tin ) - tin), டி^oம்பர் (timber) - timber

த^oரம் (tharam) - quality, தா^oள் (thāL) - paper, தி^oருநாள் (thirunāL) - festival, தீ^oமை (thīmai) - evil, து^oணிவு (thuNivu) - courage, தூ^oய்மை(thūimai) - cleanliness, தெ^oங்கு (thengu) - coconut tree, தே^oன் (thēn) - honey, தை^oயல் (thaiyal) - sewing, தொ^oடர்ச்சி (thodarchchi) - continuation, தோ^oட்டம் (thōttam) - garden, தௌ^oவு (thauvu) - to spring

2.   RULE NO. 2 (Diminutive rule)

If a member of compound consonant or vowel or ழ் precedes another member of compound consonant, then the following compound consonant is pronounced at its lowest permissible value (LSL) denoted by ( ^-1 ).

அக^-1ம் (aham) - interior, மத^-1ம் (madham) - religion, பாசி^-1 (pāsi) - moss

3.  RULE NO. 3 (Nasal augment rule)

Whenever any permissible member of compound consonant follows the members of the set of Nasals (ங்‚ ஞ்‚ ண்‚ ன், ம் & ந்) the following letter is pronounced at the maximum permissible sound value (HSL) (Voiced).

பங்கு2 (pangu) - share

4.  RULE NO. 4 (Consonant augment rule)

If a member of a compound consonant (other than that derived from ற்) is preceded by its own corresponding member in consonant from which it was derived, or ட் or ற் the following compound consonant is pronounced at the sound level value 1 (Aspirated).

முயற்சி¹ (muyaRchi) - try, நட்பு¹ (natpu) friendship, கற்ப¹னை (kaRpanai) - imagination

5.  RULE NO. 5 (T-Rule)

Whenever ற் is followed by a compound consonant derived from it, then the two together are pronounced, as though ‘T’ precedes the corresponding compound consonant.

முற்றம் (mutRam) - courtyard ,பற்று (patRu) - grasp / attachment

6.  RULE NO. 6 (D-Rule)

Whenever the nasal ன் precedes a member of compound consonant derived from ற் then this compound consonant is pronounced as though a ‘D’ precedes it.

ஒன்று (ondru)- one, பன்றி (pandri) - pig