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{{short description|Diacritic in Indic scripts}} | {{short description|Diacritic in Indic scripts}} | ||
{{ | {{distinguish|Nuqta}} | ||
'''Anusvara''' ( | {{Infobox diacritic|char={{lang|hi|ं}} | ||
|name=Anusvara |unicode=}} | |||
'''Anusvara''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|n|ʊ|ˈ|s|v|ɑːr|ə}} {{respell|AN-uu-SVAR-ə}}; {{langx|sa|अनुस्वार}}, {{IAST3|anusvāra}}, {{IPA|sa|ɐn̪usʋaːrɐ|IPA}}), also known as '''Bindu''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɪ|n|d|u}} {{respell|BIN-doo}}; {{langx|hi|बिन्दु}} {{ipa|hi|bɪn̪d̪uː|}}), is a symbol used in many [[Indic scripts]] to mark a type of [[nasalization|nasal sound]], typically transliterated {{grapheme|ṁ}} or {{grapheme|ṃ}} in standards like [[ISO 15919]] and [[IAST]]. Depending on [[Phonetic environment|its location in a word]] and the language for which it is used, its exact pronunciation can vary. In the context of ancient [[Sanskrit]], ''anusvara'' is the name of the particular nasal sound itself, regardless of written representation. | |||
== Sanskrit == | == Sanskrit == | ||
In [[Vedic Sanskrit]], the anusvāra (lit | In [[Vedic Sanskrit]], the anusvāra ({{lit|after-sound' or 'subordinate sound}}){{Sfn|Allen|1953|p=40}} was an [[allophonic]] (derived) nasal sound. | ||
The exact nature of the sound has been subject to debate. The material in the various [[Prātiśākhya| ancient phonetic treatises]] points towards different phonetic interpretations, and these discrepancies have historically been attributed to either differences in the description of the same pronunciation | The exact nature of the sound has been subject to debate. The material in the various [[Prātiśākhya|ancient phonetic treatises]] points towards different phonetic interpretations, and these discrepancies have historically been attributed to either differences in the description of the same pronunciation<ref>[[William Dwight Whitney|Whitney]], cited in {{Harvnb|Emeneau|1946|p=91}}</ref> or to dialectal or diachronic variation.{{sfn|Varma|1961|pp=148–55}}{{sfn|Emeneau|1946|p=91}} In a 2013 reappraisal of the evidence, Cardona concludes that these reflect real dialectal differences.{{sfn|Cardona|2013}} | ||
The environments in which the anusvara could arise, however, were well defined. In the earliest [[Vedic Sanskrit]], it was an allophone of /m/ at a [[morpheme]] boundary, or of /n/ within morphemes, when it was preceded by a vowel and followed by a [[fricative]] ({{IAST|/ś/, /ṣ/, /s/, /h/}}).{{sfn|Allen|1953|p=40}} In later Sanskrit its use expanded to other contexts, first before /r/ under certain conditions, then, in [[Classical Sanskrit]], before {{IAST|/ | The environments in which the anusvara could arise, however, were well defined. In the earliest [[Vedic Sanskrit]], it was an allophone of /m/ at a [[morpheme]] boundary, or of /n/ within morphemes, when it was preceded by a vowel and followed by a [[fricative]] ({{IAST|/ś/, /ṣ/, /s/, /h/}}).{{sfn|Allen|1953|p=40}} In later Sanskrit its use expanded to other contexts, first before /r/ under certain conditions, then, in [[Classical Sanskrit]], before {{IAST|/v/}} and {{IAST|/y/}}.{{sfn|Allen|1953|p=40}} | ||
Later still, [[Pāṇini]] gave anusvara as an alternative pronunciation as word-final [[sandhi]], and later treatises also prescribed it at morpheme junctions and within morphemes.{{sfn|Allen|1953|p=41}} In the later written language, the diacritic used to represent anusvara was optionally used to indicate a [[nasal stop]] having the same [[place of articulation]] as a following [[plosive]], which was written in some evolved scripts (e.g. in Bengali-Assamese) as an additional sandhi letter (no longer as a diacritic) for Vedic transcriptions of Sanskrit, to distinguish it with the anusvara diacritic that was used to transcribe other phonemes. | |||
== Devanagari script == | == Devanagari script == | ||
In the [[Devanagari script]], | In the [[Devanagari script]], anusvāra is represented with a [[Dot (diacritic)|dot]] (''bindu'') above the letter (e.g. <big>मं</big>). In the [[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration]] (IAST), the corresponding symbol is ṃ (''m'' with an [[underdot]]). Some transcriptions render notation of phonetic variants used in some Vedic [[shakha]]s with variant transcription (ṁ). | ||
In writing Sanskrit, the anusvara is often used as an alternative representation of the nasal stop with the same place of articulation as the following plosive. For example, {{IPA|[əŋɡə]}} 'limb (of the body)' may be written with either a conjunct, अङ्ग ''aṅga'', or with an anusvara, अंग ''aṃga''. A variant of the anusvara, the [[anunāsika]] or ' | In writing Sanskrit, the anusvara is often used as an alternative representation of the nasal stop with the same place of articulation as the following plosive. For example, {{IPA|[əŋɡə]}} 'limb (of the body)' may be written with either a conjunct, अङ्ग ''aṅga'', or with an anusvara, अंग ''aṃga''. A variant of the anusvara, the [[anunāsika]] or 'chandrabindu', was used more explicitly for nasalized vowels, as in अँश ''aṃśa'' for {{IPA|[ə̃ɕə]}} 'portion'.<ref name="DB">William Bright, "The Devanagari Script", in Daniels & Bright, ''The World's Writing Systems'', OUP, 1996.</ref> | ||
=== Hindi === | === Hindi === | ||
In | In [[Standard Hindi]], the anusvāra is traditionally defined as representing a nasal consonant [[homorganic consonants|homorganic]] to a following [[plosive]], in contrast to the {{lang|hi-Latn|[[Chandrabindu|candrabindu]]}} ({{lang|hi-Latn|anunāsika}}), which indicates [[nasal vowel|vowel nasalization]]. In practice, however, the two are often used interchangeably. | ||
The precise phonetic value of the phoneme, whether it is represented by {{lang|hi-Latn|anusvāra|}} or {{lang|hi-Latn|[[Chandrabindu|candrabindu]]}}, is dependent on the phonological environment. | The precise phonetic value of the phoneme, whether it is represented by {{lang|hi-Latn|anusvāra|}} or {{lang|hi-Latn|[[Chandrabindu|candrabindu]]}}, is dependent on the phonological environment.<ref>The following rules are from {{Harvtxt|Ohala|1983|pp=87–90}}</ref> | ||
Word-finally it is realized as nasalization of the preceding vowel: ''{{lang|hi-Latn|kuāṃ}}'' {{IPA|[kʊ̃ãː]}}, "a well". It results in vowel nasalization also medially between a short vowel and a non-[[obstruent]] (''{{lang|hi-Latn|kuṃvar}}'' {{IPA|[kʊ̃ʋər]}} "a youth", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|gaṃṛāsā}}'' {{IPA|[ɡə̃ɽaːsaː]}} "a long-handled axe") and, in native words, between a long vowel and a voiceless plosive (''{{lang|hi-Latn|dāṃt}}'' {{IPA|[dãːt]}} "tooth", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|sāṃp}}'' {{IPA|[sãːp]}} "a snake", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|pūṃch}}'' {{IPA|[pũːtʃʰ]}} "tail"). | Word-finally, it is realized as nasalization of the preceding vowel: ''{{lang|hi-Latn|kuāṃ}}'' {{IPA|[kʊ̃ãː]}}, "a well". It results in vowel nasalization also medially between a short vowel and a non-[[obstruent]] (''{{lang|hi-Latn|kuṃvar}}'' {{IPA|[kʊ̃ʋər]}} "a youth", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|gaṃṛāsā}}'' {{IPA|[ɡə̃ɽaːsaː]}} "a long-handled axe") and, in native words, between a long vowel and a voiceless plosive (''{{lang|hi-Latn|dāṃt}}'' {{IPA|[dãːt]}} "tooth", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|sāṃp}}'' {{IPA|[sãːp]}} "a snake", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|pūṃch}}'' {{IPA|[pũːtʃʰ]}} "tail"). | ||
It is pronounced as a homorganic nasal, with the preceding vowel becoming nasalized [[allophone|allophonically]], in the following cases: between a long vowel and a voiced plosive (''{{lang|hi-Latn|tāṃbā}}'' {{IPA|[taːmbaː]}} "copper", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|cāṃdī}}'' {{IPA|[tʃaːndiː]}} "silver"), between a long vowel and a voiceless plosive in loanwords (''{{lang|hi-Latn|dāṃt}}'' {{IPA|[daːnt]}} "repressed", ''{{lang|hi-Latn| | It is pronounced as a homorganic nasal, with the preceding vowel becoming nasalized [[allophone|allophonically]], in the following cases: between a long vowel and a voiced plosive (''{{lang|hi-Latn|tāṃbā}}'' {{IPA|[taːmbaː]}} "copper", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|cāṃdī}}'' {{IPA|[tʃaːndiː]}} "silver"), between a long vowel and a voiceless plosive in loanwords (''{{lang|hi-Latn|dāṃt}}'' {{IPA|[daːnt]}} "repressed", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|bêṃk}}'' {{IPA|[bæːŋk]}} "a bank", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|xazāṃcī}}'' {{IPA|[xəzaːɲtʃiː]}} "cashier"), and between a short vowel and an obstruent (''{{lang|hi-Latn|saṃbhāl-}}'' {{IPA|[səmbʱaːl]}} "to support", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|saṃdūk}}'' {{IPA|[sənduːk]}} "a chest"). | ||
The last rule has two sets of exceptions | The last rule has two sets of exceptions in which the {{lang|hi-Latn|anusvāra|}} results only in the nasalization of the preceding short vowel. Words from the first set are morphologically derived from words with a long nasalized vowel (''{{lang|hi-Latn|baṃṭ-}}'' {{IPA|[bə̃ʈ]}}, "to be divided" from ''{{lang|hi-Latn|bāṃṭ-}}'' {{IPA|[bãʈ]}}, "to divide"; ''{{lang|hi-Latn|siṃcāī}}'' {{IPA|[sɪ̃tʃai]}}, "irrigation" from ''{{lang|hi-Latn|sīṃc-}}'' {{IPA|[sĩːtʃ]}}, "to irrigate"). In such cases, the vowel is sometimes denasalized ({{IPA|[bəʈ]}}, {{IPA|[sɪtʃai]}} instead of {{IPA|[bə̃ʈ-]}}, {{IPA|[sɪ̃tʃai]}}). The second set is composed of a few words like ''({{lang|hi-Latn|pahuṃc-}}'' {{IPA|[pahʊ̃tʃ]}}, "to arrive" and ''{{lang|hi-Latn|haṃs-}}'' {{IPA|[hə̃s]}}, "to laugh").<ref group="note">{{Harvtxt|Ohala|1983|p=90}} lists five more such words: ''{{lang|hi-Latn|dhaṃs-}}'' "to sink", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|phaṃs-}}'' "to be stuck", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|haṃslī}}'' "a necklace", ''{{lang|hi-Latn|haṃsiyā}}'' "a sickle" and ''{{lang|hi-Latn|haṃsī}}'' "laughter".</ref> | ||
=== Marathi === | === Marathi === | ||
In [[Marathi Language|Marathi]] the | In [[Marathi Language|Marathi]], the anusvāra is pronounced as a [[nasal consonant|nasal]] that is [[homorganic consonants|homorganic]] to the following consonant (with the same [[place of articulation]]). For example, it is pronounced as the [[dental nasal]] न् before [[dental consonant]]s, as the [[bilabial nasal]] म् before [[bilabial consonants]], etc{{citation needed|date=December 2015|reason=sounds quite plausible, but the phonetics of nasals in South Asian languages can be complex and so the claim might as well turn out to be false.}} | ||
Unlike in other Indic languages, | . Unlike in other Indic languages, the same dot designating the anusvāra in Marathi is also used to mark a retension of the inherent vowel (it is inconsistently placed over a consonant after which the short central vowel is to be pronounced and not elided). | ||
===Nepali=== | ===Nepali=== | ||
In [[Nepali language|Nepali]], | In [[Nepali language|Nepali]], the candrabindu indicates vowel nasalization. Therefore, there is a great deal of variation regarding which occurs in any given position. Many words containing anusvara thus have alternative spellings with a [[chandrabindu]] instead of the anusvāra and vice versa. Anusvara is used when there is too little space for the [[chandrabindu]]. The anusvāra can represent a nasal vowel, a homoorganic nasal, or both. | ||
==Other Indic script languages== | ==Other Indic script languages== | ||
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===Bengali=== | ===Bengali=== | ||
[[File:Bengali Letter Anusvara.svg|thumb|50px]] | [[File:Bengali Letter Anusvara.svg|thumb|50px]] | ||
In the [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali script]], the anusvara diacritic ( | In the [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali script]], the anusvara diacritic ({{Langx|bn|অনুস্বার|translit=ônuśśar}}) is written as a circle above a slanted line (<big>ং</big>), and represents /অঙ্/. It is used in the name of the [[Bengali language]] <big>বাংলা</big> {{IPA|[baŋla]}} and has merged in pronunciation with the letter <big>ঙ</big> ''unga'' in Bengali. | ||
Although the anusvara is a consonant in [[Bengali phonology]], it is treated in the written system as a diacritic in that it is always directly adjacent to the preceding consonant, even when consonants are spaced apart in titles or banners: <big>বাং-লা-দে-শ</big> ''baṅ-la-de-ś'', not <big>বা-ং-লা-দে-শ</big> ''ba-ṅ-la-de-ś'' for <big>বাংলাদেশ</big> ''[[Bangladesh]]''. It is never pronounced with the inherent vowel 'ô' ({{IPA|/ɔ/}} or {{IPA|/o/}}), and it cannot take a vowel sign (instead, the consonant <big>ঙ</big> ''uṅô'' is used before vowels). | |||
===Burmese=== | ===Burmese=== | ||
In the [[Burmese script]], the anusvara ({{my|အောက်မြစ်}} ''auk myit'' {{IPA | In the [[Burmese alphabet|Burmese script]], the anusvara ({{lang|my|အောက်မြစ်}} ''auk myit'' (့) {{IPA|my|aʊʔ mjɪʔ|IPA}}) is represented as a dot under a nasalised final to indicate a [[Burmese language#Tones|creaky tone]] (with a shortened vowel). | ||
Burmese also uses a dot above a letter to indicate the {{IPA|/-ɴ/}} nasalized ending (called "Myanmar Sign Anusvara" in Unicode), called {{lang|my|သေးသေးတင်}} ''thay thay tin'' ({{IPA|my|θé ðé tɪ̀ɰ̃|IPA}}) (ံ) | |||
===Sinhala=== | ===Sinhala=== | ||
In the [[Sinhala script]], the anusvara is not a nonspacing combining mark but a spacing combining mark. It has circular shape and follows its base letter ( ං). | In the [[Sinhala script]], the anusvara is not a nonspacing combining mark but a spacing combining mark. It has a circular shape and follows its base letter ( ං).<ref>See an example in {{cite web |first1=Anshuman |last1=Pandey |title=Proposal to encode a nasal character in Vedic Extensions |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2017/17117r-vedic-double-antargomukha.pdf |id=L2/17-117R |date=April 25, 2017 |website=Unicode |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008031028/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2017/17117r-vedic-double-antargomukha.pdf |archive-date= Oct 8, 2022 }}</ref> It is called {{transliteration|si|binduva}} in [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]], which means "dot". The anusvara represents {{IPAslink|ŋ}} at the end of a syllable. It is used in the name of the [[Sinhala language]] සිංහල {{IPA|si|ˈsiŋɦələ|}}. It has merged in pronunciation with the letter ඞ ṅa in Sinhala. | ||
===Telugu=== | ===Telugu=== | ||
The [[Telugu script]] has full-zero ( | The [[Telugu script]] has full-zero (sunna) ం, half-zero (arasunna) and ''visarga'' to convey various shades of nasal sounds. Anusvara is represented as a circle shape after a letter:<ref>{{cite book |title= A History of Telugu Literature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xwXx7LB-ai4C&pg=PA18 |last= Chenchiah |first= P. |author2=Rao, Raja Bhujanga |year= 1988 |publisher= Asian Educational Services |isbn= 81-206-0313-3 |page=18}}</ref> క - ka and కం - kam. | ||
===Thai=== | ===Thai=== | ||
The equivalent of the anusvara in the [[Thai alphabet]] is the [[Thai alphabet#anusvara|''nikkhahit'']] | The equivalent of the anusvara in the [[Thai alphabet]] is the [[Thai alphabet#anusvara|''nikkhahit'']] (◌ํ). Used in rendering Sanskrit and [[Pali]] texts, it is written as an open circle above the consonant (for example {{lang|th|อํ}}). Its pronunciation depends on the following sound: if it is a consonant, the nikkhahit is pronounced as a homorganic nasal, and if it is at the end of a word, it is pronounced as a [[voiced velar nasal]]{{IPA|/ŋ/}}.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} | ||
==Anunasika== | ==Anunasika== | ||
'''Anunasika''' (''{{IAST|anunāsika}}'') is a form of [[Nasal vowel|vowel nasalization]], often represented by an anusvara. It is a form of open mouthed nasalization, akin to the nasalization of vowels followed by "n" or "m" in Parisian [[French language|French]]. When "n" or "m" | '''Anunasika''' (''{{IAST|anunāsika}}'') is a form of [[Nasal vowel|vowel nasalization]], often represented by an anusvara. It is a form of open-mouthed nasalization, akin to the nasalization of vowels followed by "n" or "m" in Parisian [[French language|French]]. When "n" or "m" follows a vowel, the "n" or "m" becomes silent and causes the preceding vowel to become nasal (it is pronounced with the soft palate extended downward to allow part or all of the air to leave through the nostrils). Anunasika is sometimes called a ''subdot'' because of its [[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]] representation. | ||
In [[Devanagari]] and related | In [[Devanagari]] and related scripts, the anunasika is represented by the [[chandrabindu]] diacritic (''example'': माँ). | ||
In [[Burmese language|Burmese]], the anunasika, called {{my|သေးသေးတင်}} ({{IPA | In [[Burmese language|Burmese]], the anunasika, called {{lang|my|သေးသေးတင်}} ({{IPA|my|θé ðé tɪ̀ɰ̃|IPA}}) and represented as {{angbr|{{lang|my|ံ}}}}, creates the {{IPA|/-ɰ̃/}} nasalized ending when it is attached as a dot above a letter. The anunasika represents the -m final in Pali. | ||
== Unicode == | == Unicode == | ||
{{Contains special characters|Uncommon Unicode|section}} | |||
[[Unicode]] encodes anusvara and anusvara-like characters for a variety of scripts: | [[Unicode]] encodes anusvara and anusvara-like characters for a variety of scripts: | ||
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! Script !! Sign !! Example !! Unicode | ! Script !! Sign !! Example !! Unicode | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali]] || ং||কং|| U+0982 | | [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali]] ||&nbsp;ং||কং|| U+0982 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Bengali [[Vedic Sanskrit|Vedic]] ||ৼ|| || U+09FC | | Bengali [[Vedic Sanskrit|Vedic]] ||ৼ|| || U+09FC | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Bhaiksuki alphabet|Bhaiksuki]] || 𑰽||𑰎𑰽|| U+11C3D | | [[Bhaiksuki alphabet|Bhaiksuki]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Bhaiksuki;">𑰽</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans;">𑰎𑰽</span>|| U+11C3D | ||
|- | |||
| [[Brahmi script|Brahmi]] ||&nbsp;𑀁||𑀓𑀁|| U+11001 | |||
|- | |||
| [[Chakma alphabet|Chakma]] ||&nbsp;&#x11101;||𑄇&#x11101;|| U+11101 | |||
|- | |||
| [[Devanagari]] ||&nbsp;ं||कं|| U+0902 | |||
|- | |||
|Devanagari Vedic | |||
|ꣳ | |||
| | |||
|U+A8F3 | |||
|- | |||
|Devanagari Vedic Double | |||
|ꣴ | |||
| | |||
|U+A8F4 | |||
|- | |||
| [[Dhives Akuru]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Serif Dives Akuru;">𑤻</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Serif Dives Akuru;">𑤌𑤻</span>|| U+1193B | |||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Dogri language#Script|Dogra]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Serif Dogra;">𑠷</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Serif Dogra;">𑠊𑠷</span>|| U+11837 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Grantha alphabet|Grantha]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Grantha;">𑌂</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Grantha;">𑌕𑌂</span>|| U+11302 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | Grantha Vedic ||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Grantha;">𑍞</span>|| || U+1135E | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | Grantha Vedic (double) ||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Grantha;">𑍟</span>|| || U+1135F | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | Grantha (combining above) ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Grantha;">𑌀</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Grantha;">𑌕𑌀</span>|| U+11300 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Gujarati script|Gujarati]] ||&nbsp;ં||કં|| U+0A82 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | [[Gunjala Gondi Lipi|Gunjala Gondi]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Gunjala Gondi;">𑶕</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Gunjala Gondi;">𑵱𑶕</span>|| U+11D95 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | [[Gurmukhī script|Gurmukhi]] ||&nbsp;ਂ||ਕਂ|| U+0A02 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | [[Khema script|Gurung Khema]] ||&nbsp;|||| U+1612D | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Kaithi]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Kaithi;">𑂁</span>||𑂍𑂁|| U+11081 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Kannada script|Kannada]] ||&nbsp;ಂ||ಕಂ|| U+0C82 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | Kannada (combining above right) ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Kannada;">ೳ</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Kannada;">ಕೳ</span>|| U+0CF3 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Kharosthi]] ||&nbsp;𐨎||𐨐𐨎|| U+10A0E | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Khojki]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Serif Khojki;">𑈴</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Serif Khojki;">𑈈𑈴</span>|| U+11234 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Khudabadi script|Khudabadi]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Khudawadi;">𑋟</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Khudawadi;">𑊺𑋟</span>|| U+112DF | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Kirat Rai]] ||&nbsp;|| || U+16D40 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Malayalam script|Malayalam]] ||&nbsp;ം||കം|| U+0D02 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | Malayalam (combining above) ||&nbsp;ഀ||കഀ|| U+0D00 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Malayalam | | Malayalam Vedic||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Malayalam;">ഄ</span>|| || U+0D04 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | [[Marchen script|Marchen]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Marchen;">𑲵</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Marchen;">𑱲𑲵</span>|| U+11CB5 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Masaram Gondi script|Masaram Gondi]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Masaram Gondi;">𑵀</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans | ||
ram Gondi;">𑴌𑵀</span>|| U+11D40 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Modi alphabet|Modi]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Modi;">𑘽</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Modi;">𑘎𑘽</span>|| U+1163D | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Mongolian alphabet|Mongolian]] ||{{MongolUnicode|ᢀ᠋}}||{{MongolUnicode|ᢀ᠋ᠠ᠋}}|| U+1880 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Nandinagari]] || 𑧞||𑦮𑧞|| U+119DE | | [[Nandinagari]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Nandinagari;">𑧞</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Nandinagari;">𑦮𑧞</span>|| U+119DE | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Odia script|Odia]] || ଂ||କଂ|| U+0B02 | | [[Odia script|Odia]] ||&nbsp;ଂ||କଂ|| U+0B02 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Prachalit Nepal alphabet|Prachalit Nepal]] || 𑑄||𑐎𑑄|| U+11444 | | [[Prachalit Nepal alphabet|Prachalit Nepal]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Newa;">𑑄</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Newa;">𑐎𑑄</span>|| U+11444 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Prachalit Nepal (Vedic) ||𑑟|| || U+1145F | | Prachalit Nepal (Vedic) ||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Newa;">𑑟</span>|| || U+1145F | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Śāradā script|Sharada]] || 𑆁||𑆑𑆁|| U+11181 | | [[Śāradā script|Sharada]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Sharada;">𑆁</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Sharada;">𑆑𑆁</span>|| U+11181 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Saurashtra alphabet|Saurashtra]] || ꢀ||ꢒꢀ|| U+A880 | | [[Saurashtra alphabet|Saurashtra]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Saurashtra;">ꢀ</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Saurashtra;">ꢒꢀ</span>|| U+A880 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Siddhaṃ script|Siddham]] || 𑖽||𑖎𑖽|| U+115BD | | [[Siddhaṃ script|Siddham]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Siddham;">𑖽</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Siddham;">𑖎𑖽</span>|| U+115BD | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Sinhala script|Sinhala]] || ං||කං|| U+0D82 | | [[Sinhala script|Sinhala]] ||&nbsp;ං||කං|| U+0D82 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Soyombo alphabet|Soyombo]] || 𑪖||𑩜𑪖|| U+11A96 | | [[Soyombo alphabet|Soyombo]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Soyombo;">𑪖</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Soyombo;">𑩜𑪖</span>|| U+11A96 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Sylheti Nagari]] || ꠋ||ꠇꠋ|| U+A80B | | [[Sylheti Nagari]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Syloti Nagri;">ꠋ</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Syloti Nagri;">ꠇꠋ</span>|| U+A80B | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Takri alphabet|Takri]] || 𑚫||𑚊𑚫|| U+116AB | | [[Takri alphabet|Takri]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Takri;">𑚫</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Takri;">𑚊𑚫</span>|| U+116AB | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Tamil language|Tamil]] ||&nbsp;◌ஂ||கஂ|| U+0B82 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | [[Telugu script|Telugu]] ||&nbsp;ం||కం|| U+0C02 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | Telugu ([[Prakrit]])<ref>{{cite web|title=L2/16-285: Proposal to encode the Telugu Sign Combining Anusvara Above|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2016/16285-telugu-comb-anusvara.pdf|date=2016-10-20|first1=Srinidhi|last1=A|first2=Sridatta|last2=A |website=Unicode }}</ref> (combining above) ||&nbsp;ఄ||కఄ|| U+0C04 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Tibetan alphabet|Tibetan]] (rjes su nga ro) ||&nbsp;ཾ||ཀཾ||U+0F7E | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Zanabazar Square alphabet|Zanabazar Square]] || 𑨸||𑨋𑨸|| U+11A38 | | [[Tirhuta]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Tirhuta;">𑓀</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Tirhuta;">𑒏𑓀</span>|| U+114C0 | ||
|- | |||
| [[Zanabazar Square alphabet|Zanabazar Square]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Zanabazar Square;">𑨸</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Zanabazar;">𑨋𑨸</span>|| U+11A38 | |||
|} | |} | ||
| valign="top" | | | valign="top" | | ||
| Line 157: | Line 187: | ||
! Script !! Sign !! Example !! Unicode | ! Script !! Sign !! Example !! Unicode | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Balinese script|Balinese]] || {{script|Bali| ᬂ}} || {{script|Bali|ᬓᬂ}} || U+1B02 | | [[Balinese script|Balinese]] || {{script|Bali|&nbsp;ᬂ}} || {{script|Bali|ᬓᬂ}} || U+1B02 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Burmese | | [[Burmese alphabet|Burmese]] || {{script|Mymr|&nbsp;ံ}} || {{script|Mymr|ကံ}} || U+1036 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Javanese script|Javanese]] || {{ | | [[Javanese script|Javanese]] || {{script|Java|&nbsp;ꦁ}} || {{script|Java|ꦏꦁ}} || U+A981 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Kawi script|Kawi]] || &nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Kawi;">𑼁</span> || <span style="font-family:Noto Sans Kawi;">𑼒𑼁</span> || U+11F01 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Khmer script|Khmer]] || {{script|Khmr|&nbsp;ំ}} || {{script|Khmr|កំ}} || U+17C6 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Lao script|Lao]] ||&nbsp;ໍ||ກໍ|| U+0ECD | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Sundanese script|Sundanese]] || {{script|Sund|&nbsp;ᮀ}} || {{script|Sund|ᮊᮀ}} || U+1B80 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Thai script|Thai]] || ํ||กํ|| U+0E4D | | [[Tai Tham alphabet|Tai Tham]] (mai kang) ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Tai Tham;">ᩴ</span>||<span style="font-family:Noto Sans Tai Tham;">ᨠᩴ</span>|| U+1A74 | ||
|- | |||
| [[Thai script|Thai]] ||&nbsp;<span style="font-family:SF Thonburi;">ํ</span>||<span style="font-family:SF Thonburi;">กํ</span>|| U+0E4D | |||
|} | |} | ||
| Line 195: | Line 227: | ||
|publisher= OUP | |publisher= OUP | ||
}} | }} | ||
*{{Cite journal| last = Cardona| first = George| date = 2013| title = Developments of nasals in early Indo-Aryan : anunāsika and anusvāra| journal = Tokyo University Linguistic Papers| volume = 33| pages = 3–81| issn = | *{{Cite journal| last = Cardona| first = George| date = 2013| title = Developments of nasals in early Indo-Aryan : anunāsika and anusvāra| journal = Tokyo University Linguistic Papers| volume = 33| pages = 3–81| issn = 1345-8663| url = https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/120005245953/en/}} | ||
* {{Cite journal | * {{Cite journal | ||
|last= Emeneau | |last= Emeneau | ||
| Line 215: | Line 247: | ||
|year= 1983 | |year= 1983 | ||
|publisher= Motilal Banarsidass | |publisher= Motilal Banarsidass | ||
| | |isbn= 0-89581-670-9 | ||
}} | }} | ||
*{{Cite book| publisher = Munshi Ram Manohar Lal| last = Varma| first = Siddheshwar| title = Critical studies in the phonetic observations of Indian grammarians.| location = Delhi| series = James G. Forlong Fund| date = 1961| orig-year = 1927}} | *{{Cite book| publisher = Munshi Ram Manohar Lal| last = Varma| first = Siddheshwar| title = Critical studies in the phonetic observations of Indian grammarians.| location = Delhi| series = James G. Forlong Fund| date = 1961| orig-year = 1927}} | ||
{{Navbox diacritical marks}} | |||
[[Category:Brahmic diacritics]] | [[Category:Brahmic diacritics]] | ||
[[Category:Sanskrit]] | [[Category:Sanskrit]] | ||
Revision as of 01:23, 4 March 2026
Template:Infobox diacritic Anusvara (/ˌænʊˈsvɑːrə/ AN-uu-SVAR-ə; Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., IAST: anusvāra, sa), also known as Bindu (/ˈbɪndu/ BIN-doo; Script error: The function "langx" does not exist. Template:Ipa), is a symbol used in many Indic scripts to mark a type of nasal sound, typically transliterated Template:Grapheme or Template:Grapheme in standards like ISO 15919 and IAST. Depending on its location in a word and the language for which it is used, its exact pronunciation can vary. In the context of ancient Sanskrit, anusvara is the name of the particular nasal sound itself, regardless of written representation.
Sanskrit
In Vedic Sanskrit, the anusvāra (lit. 'after-sound' or 'subordinate sound')[1] was an allophonic (derived) nasal sound.
The exact nature of the sound has been subject to debate. The material in the various ancient phonetic treatises points towards different phonetic interpretations, and these discrepancies have historically been attributed to either differences in the description of the same pronunciation<ref>Whitney, cited in Emeneau 1946, p. 91</ref> or to dialectal or diachronic variation.[2][3] In a 2013 reappraisal of the evidence, Cardona concludes that these reflect real dialectal differences.[4]
The environments in which the anusvara could arise, however, were well defined. In the earliest Vedic Sanskrit, it was an allophone of /m/ at a morpheme boundary, or of /n/ within morphemes, when it was preceded by a vowel and followed by a fricative (/ś/, /ṣ/, /s/, /h/).[1] In later Sanskrit its use expanded to other contexts, first before /r/ under certain conditions, then, in Classical Sanskrit, before /v/ and /y/.[1]
Later still, Pāṇini gave anusvara as an alternative pronunciation as word-final sandhi, and later treatises also prescribed it at morpheme junctions and within morphemes.[5] In the later written language, the diacritic used to represent anusvara was optionally used to indicate a nasal stop having the same place of articulation as a following plosive, which was written in some evolved scripts (e.g. in Bengali-Assamese) as an additional sandhi letter (no longer as a diacritic) for Vedic transcriptions of Sanskrit, to distinguish it with the anusvara diacritic that was used to transcribe other phonemes.
Devanagari script
In the Devanagari script, anusvāra is represented with a dot (bindu) above the letter (e.g. <big>मं</big>). In the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST), the corresponding symbol is ṃ (m with an underdot). Some transcriptions render notation of phonetic variants used in some Vedic shakhas with variant transcription (ṁ).
In writing Sanskrit, the anusvara is often used as an alternative representation of the nasal stop with the same place of articulation as the following plosive. For example, [əŋɡə] 'limb (of the body)' may be written with either a conjunct, अङ्ग aṅga, or with an anusvara, अंग aṃga. A variant of the anusvara, the anunāsika or 'chandrabindu', was used more explicitly for nasalized vowels, as in अँश aṃśa for [ə̃ɕə] 'portion'.<ref name="DB">William Bright, "The Devanagari Script", in Daniels & Bright, The World's Writing Systems, OUP, 1996.</ref>
Hindi
In Standard Hindi, the anusvāra is traditionally defined as representing a nasal consonant homorganic to a following plosive, in contrast to the candrabindu (anunāsika), which indicates vowel nasalization. In practice, however, the two are often used interchangeably.
The precise phonetic value of the phoneme, whether it is represented by anusvāra or candrabindu, is dependent on the phonological environment.<ref>The following rules are from Ohala (1983, pp. 87–90)</ref>
Word-finally, it is realized as nasalization of the preceding vowel: kuāṃ [kʊ̃ãː], "a well". It results in vowel nasalization also medially between a short vowel and a non-obstruent (kuṃvar [kʊ̃ʋər] "a youth", gaṃṛāsā [ɡə̃ɽaːsaː] "a long-handled axe") and, in native words, between a long vowel and a voiceless plosive (dāṃt [dãːt] "tooth", sāṃp [sãːp] "a snake", pūṃch [pũːtʃʰ] "tail").
It is pronounced as a homorganic nasal, with the preceding vowel becoming nasalized allophonically, in the following cases: between a long vowel and a voiced plosive (tāṃbā [taːmbaː] "copper", cāṃdī [tʃaːndiː] "silver"), between a long vowel and a voiceless plosive in loanwords (dāṃt [daːnt] "repressed", bêṃk [bæːŋk] "a bank", xazāṃcī [xəzaːɲtʃiː] "cashier"), and between a short vowel and an obstruent (saṃbhāl- [səmbʱaːl] "to support", saṃdūk [sənduːk] "a chest").
The last rule has two sets of exceptions in which the anusvāra results only in the nasalization of the preceding short vowel. Words from the first set are morphologically derived from words with a long nasalized vowel (baṃṭ- [bə̃ʈ], "to be divided" from bāṃṭ- [bãʈ], "to divide"; siṃcāī [sɪ̃tʃai], "irrigation" from sīṃc- [sĩːtʃ], "to irrigate"). In such cases, the vowel is sometimes denasalized ([bəʈ], [sɪtʃai] instead of [bə̃ʈ-], [sɪ̃tʃai]). The second set is composed of a few words like (pahuṃc- [pahʊ̃tʃ], "to arrive" and haṃs- [hə̃s], "to laugh").<ref group="note">Ohala (1983, p. 90) lists five more such words: dhaṃs- "to sink", phaṃs- "to be stuck", haṃslī "a necklace", haṃsiyā "a sickle" and haṃsī "laughter".</ref>
Marathi
In Marathi, the anusvāra is pronounced as a nasal that is homorganic to the following consonant (with the same place of articulation). For example, it is pronounced as the dental nasal न् before dental consonants, as the bilabial nasal म् before bilabial consonants, etc[citation needed] . Unlike in other Indic languages, the same dot designating the anusvāra in Marathi is also used to mark a retension of the inherent vowel (it is inconsistently placed over a consonant after which the short central vowel is to be pronounced and not elided).
Nepali
In Nepali, the candrabindu indicates vowel nasalization. Therefore, there is a great deal of variation regarding which occurs in any given position. Many words containing anusvara thus have alternative spellings with a chandrabindu instead of the anusvāra and vice versa. Anusvara is used when there is too little space for the chandrabindu. The anusvāra can represent a nasal vowel, a homoorganic nasal, or both.
Other Indic script languages
Anusvara is used in other languages using Indic scripts as well, usually to represent suprasegmental phones (such as phonation type or nasalization) or other nasal sounds.
Bengali
In the Bengali script, the anusvara diacritic (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) is written as a circle above a slanted line (<big>ং</big>), and represents /অঙ্/. It is used in the name of the Bengali language <big>বাংলা</big> [baŋla] and has merged in pronunciation with the letter <big>ঙ</big> unga in Bengali.
Although the anusvara is a consonant in Bengali phonology, it is treated in the written system as a diacritic in that it is always directly adjacent to the preceding consonant, even when consonants are spaced apart in titles or banners: <big>বাং-লা-দে-শ</big> baṅ-la-de-ś, not <big>বা-ং-লা-দে-শ</big> ba-ṅ-la-de-ś for <big>বাংলাদেশ</big> Bangladesh. It is never pronounced with the inherent vowel 'ô' (/ɔ/ or /o/), and it cannot take a vowel sign (instead, the consonant <big>ঙ</big> uṅô is used before vowels).
Burmese
In the Burmese script, the anusvara (အောက်မြစ် auk myit (့) my) is represented as a dot under a nasalised final to indicate a creaky tone (with a shortened vowel).
Burmese also uses a dot above a letter to indicate the /-ɴ/ nasalized ending (called "Myanmar Sign Anusvara" in Unicode), called သေးသေးတင် thay thay tin (my) (ံ)
Sinhala
In the Sinhala script, the anusvara is not a nonspacing combining mark but a spacing combining mark. It has a circular shape and follows its base letter ( ං).<ref>See an example in Pandey, Anshuman (April 25, 2017). "Proposal to encode a nasal character in Vedic Extensions" (PDF). Unicode. L2/17-117R. Archived (PDF) from the original on Oct 8, 2022.</ref> It is called binduva in Sinhala, which means "dot". The anusvara represents /ŋ/ at the end of a syllable. It is used in the name of the Sinhala language සිංහල si. It has merged in pronunciation with the letter ඞ ṅa in Sinhala.
Telugu
The Telugu script has full-zero (sunna) ం, half-zero (arasunna) and visarga to convey various shades of nasal sounds. Anusvara is represented as a circle shape after a letter:<ref>Chenchiah, P.; Rao, Raja Bhujanga (1988). A History of Telugu Literature. Asian Educational Services. p. 18. ISBN 81-206-0313-3.</ref> క - ka and కం - kam.
Thai
The equivalent of the anusvara in the Thai alphabet is the nikkhahit (◌ํ). Used in rendering Sanskrit and Pali texts, it is written as an open circle above the consonant (for example อํ). Its pronunciation depends on the following sound: if it is a consonant, the nikkhahit is pronounced as a homorganic nasal, and if it is at the end of a word, it is pronounced as a voiced velar nasal/ŋ/.[citation needed]
Anunasika
Anunasika (anunāsika) is a form of vowel nasalization, often represented by an anusvara. It is a form of open-mouthed nasalization, akin to the nasalization of vowels followed by "n" or "m" in Parisian French. When "n" or "m" follows a vowel, the "n" or "m" becomes silent and causes the preceding vowel to become nasal (it is pronounced with the soft palate extended downward to allow part or all of the air to leave through the nostrils). Anunasika is sometimes called a subdot because of its IAST representation.
In Devanagari and related scripts, the anunasika is represented by the chandrabindu diacritic (example: माँ).
In Burmese, the anunasika, called သေးသေးတင် (my) and represented as ⟨ံ⟩, creates the /-ɰ̃/ nasalized ending when it is attached as a dot above a letter. The anunasika represents the -m final in Pali.
Unicode
Unicode encodes anusvara and anusvara-like characters for a variety of scripts:
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See also
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Allen 1953, p. 40.
- ↑ Varma 1961, pp. 148–55.
- ↑ Emeneau 1946, p. 91.
- ↑ Cardona 2013.
- ↑ Allen 1953, p. 41.
Bibliography
- Allen, W.S. (1953), Phonetics in ancient India, OUP
- Cardona, George (2013). "Developments of nasals in early Indo-Aryan : anunāsika and anusvāra". Tokyo University Linguistic Papers. 33: 3–81. ISSN 1345-8663.
- Emeneau, M. B. (1946). "The Nasal Phonemes of Sanskrit". Language. 22 (2): 86–93. doi:10.2307/410341. JSTOR 410341.
- Ohala, Manjari (1983), Aspects of Hindi Phonology, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 0-89581-670-9
- Varma, Siddheshwar (1961) [1927]. Critical studies in the phonetic observations of Indian grammarians. James G. Forlong Fund. Delhi: Munshi Ram Manohar Lal.