View Message

pronounciation: Avani
does anyone know the correct pronounciation? i've been saying it uh-VAH-nee, but i doubt that's right
vote up1vote down

Replies

It depends on the language. The word avani in Sanskrit (which originally meant a stream or river bed, but later came to mean the earth, ground, or the whole earth) is pronounced a-va'-ni, with three short syllables, the first and second having the same uh kind of sound, the second being stressed. The v has less aspiration than in English (a w'ish kind of v), and the n is dental.In modern Indian languages, the pronounciation has sometimes changed. Thus in Hindi, only the stress has disappeared, whereas in Bengali, it has become somewhere between awe-bawe-ni and awe-bo-ni (I am using awe for the vowel in call, in Bengali it is still short; bo as in boat, but short).
vote up1vote down
Forgot to mention that the last syllable can be both short or long. It was short in the old language, but the long i form became common later (by when, earth was its primary meaning). In some languages like Bengali, there are few long vowels in speech.
vote up1vote down
Thanx!
vote up1vote down