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Help:IPA/Tamil

{{IPA key|H:IPA-TA}}

{{Contains special characters|Indic}}

The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Tamil pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see Template:IPA and {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation#Entering IPA characters}}.

Tamil has phonological process by which voiceless plosives are altered to their respective voiced sounds because of their position in a word (word initial versus word medial) or presence of preceding vowel sounds.

See Tamil phonology for a more thorough discussion of the sounds of Tamil.

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style="background:none;"

| style="vertical-align:top;" |

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

! colspan="4"| Consonants

rowspan="2"|IPA

! colspan="2"|Example

! rowspan="2"|English approximation

Tamil script

! ISO 15919

{{IPA link|b}}

| {{lang|ta|தம்பி}}, {{lang|ta|ஆபத்து}}, {{lang|ta|அன்பு}}

| p

| style="text-align:left;" | band

{{IPA link|ɕ}}

| {{lang|ta|ஶிவா}}

| {{Transliteration|ta|ISO|ś}}

| style="text-align:left;" | sheep

{{IPA link|d̪|d}}

| {{lang|ta|பந்து}}

| t

| style="text-align:left;" | do

{{IPA link|ɖ}} {{IPA|[ɖ]}} and {{IPA|[ɽ]}} occur as word-medial and intervocalic allophones of {{IPA|/ʈ/}}.

| {{lang|ta|வண்டி}}, {{lang|ta|படி}}

| ṭ

| style="text-align:left;" | drab

{{IPA link|ð}} {{angbr|த}} represents {{IPA|[ð]}} in intervocalic position.

| {{lang|ta|நல்லது}}

| t

| style="text-align:left;" | other

{{IPA link|dʑ}}

| {{lang|ta|இஞ்சி}}, {{lang|ta|ஜானகி}}

| c

| style="text-align:left;" | hedge

{{IPA link|ɡ}}

| {{lang|ta|அங்கே}}, {{lang|ta|பாகு}}

| k

| style="text-align:left;" | gate

{{IPA link|h}}{{angbr|க}} represents {{IPA|[h]}} in intervocalic position, but not when it appears as the first letter of a word.

| {{lang|ta|மகா}}, {{lang|ta|ஹரி}}

| k

| style="text-align:left;" | heat

{{IPA link|j}}

| {{lang|ta|யானை}}, {{lang|ta|உய்ய}}

| y

| style="text-align:left;" | yak

{{IPA link|k}}

| {{lang|ta|கால்}}, {{lang|ta|மக்கள்}}, {{lang|ta|கற்க}}

| k

| style="text-align:left;" | skate

{{IPA link|l̪|l}}

| {{lang|ta|வலி}}, {{lang|ta|வல்லி}}, {{lang|ta|இலங்கை}}, {{lang|ta|வந்தால்}}

| l

| style="text-align:left;" | let

{{IPA link|ɭ}}

| {{lang|ta|வளி}}, {{lang|ta|வள்ளி}}, {{lang|ta|வந்தாள்}}

| ḷ

| style="text-align:left;" | somewhat like carl {{small|(American English)}}

{{IPA link|m}}

| {{lang|ta|மலை}}, {{lang|ta|அம்மாள்}}, {{lang|ta|தம்பி}}, {{lang|ta|வண்ணம்}}

| m

| style="text-align:left;" | much

{{IPA link|n}}Dental [n̪] and alveolar [n] are allophones in Tamil. Both sound like {{IPAc-en|n}} to English speakers.

| {{lang|ta|பன்றி}}, {{lang|ta|சின்ன}}, {{lang|ta|வந்தான்}}

| ṉ

| style="text-align:left;" | ten

{{IPA link|n̪}}

| {{lang|ta|நயம்}}, {{lang|ta|பந்து}}, {{lang|ta|நன்றி}}, {{lang|ta|எந்நன்றி}}

| n

| style="text-align:left;" | tenth

{{IPA link|ɲ}}

| {{lang|ta|ஞானம்}}, {{lang|ta|அஞ்ஞானம்}}, {{lang|ta|இஞ்சி}}

| ñ

| style="text-align:left;" | canyon

{{IPA link|ɳ}}

| {{lang|ta|வண்டி}}, {{lang|ta|வண்ணம்}}

| ṇ

| style="text-align:left;" | corn {{small|(American English)}}

{{IPA link|ŋ}}

|{{lang|ta|அங்கே}}, {{lang|ta|அங்ஙனம்}}

| ṅ

| style="text-align:left;" | song

{{IPA link|r}}{{angbr|ற}} represents {{IPA|[dr]}} and {{IPA|[tːr]}} after corresponding nasal consonant and when geminated, respectively, in which the [t] and the [d] represent the voiceless and voiced postalveolar stops.

| {{lang|ta|கறி}}, {{lang|ta|பற்றினார்}}, {{lang|ta|பன்றி}}

| ṟ

| style="text-align:left;" | trilled r

{{IPA link|ɾ̪|ɾ}}

| {{lang|ta|கரி}}, {{lang|ta|பரி}}, {{lang|ta|இரவி}}, {{lang|ta|வந்தார்}}

| r

| style="text-align:left;" | atom {{small|(American English)}}

{{IPA link|ɽ}}

| தமிழ்நாடு

| ṭ

| style="text-align:left;" | porter {{small|(American English)}}

{{IPA link|ɻ}}In spoken Tamil, {{angbr|ழ}} is undergoing merger with {{angbr|ள}} {{IPA|[ɭ]}}, even in the educated speech.

| {{lang|ta|தமிழ்}},

{{lang|ta|வழி}}

| ḻ

| style="text-align:left;" | right

{{IPA link|s}}{{angbr|ச}} represents {{IPA|[s]}} in intervocalic position.

| {{lang|ta|பாசம்}}, {{lang|ta|ஸந்தியா}}

| s

| style="text-align:left;" | sum

{{IPA link|ʂ}}

| {{lang|ta|உஷா}}

| {{Transliteration|ta|ISO|ṣ}}

| style="text-align:left;" | shrimp

{{IPA link|t̪|t̪}}

| {{lang|ta|தனி}}, {{lang|ta|பத்து}}, {{lang|ta|யுக்தி}}

| t

| style="text-align:left;" | (Most Indian accents) think

{{IPA link|ʈ}}

| {{lang|ta|பட்டு}}

| ṭ

| style="text-align:left;" | (Most Indian Accents) tongue

{{IPA link|tɕ}}

| {{lang|ta|சின்ன}}, {{lang|ta|பேச்சு}}, {{lang|ta|கட்சி}}

| c

| style="text-align:left;" | Not common in english, Chinese beijing

{{IPA link|ʋ}}

| {{lang|ta|வழி}}, {{lang|ta|அவ்வழி}}

| v

| style="text-align:left;" | between w and v

{{IPA link|x}}Only in loanwords.

| {{lang|ta|சிங்கிஸ் ஃகான்}}

| ḵk

| style="text-align:left;" | Scottish loch or German Bach

{{IPA link|f}}

| {{lang|ta|ஃப்ரான்ஸ்}}

| ḵp

| style="text-align:left;" | fan

{{IPA link|z}}

| {{lang|ta|அஃஜாருதீன்}}

| ḵj

| style="text-align:left;" | zoo

| style="vertical-align:top; padding-left: 1em;" |

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

! colspan="4"| Vowels

rowspan="2"|IPA

! colspan="2"|Example

! rowspan="2"|English approximation

Tamil script

! ISO 15919

{{IPA link|ä|a}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கல்}} ('stone')

| a

| style="text-align:left;" | Not common in normal english, French papa

{{IPA link|ä|aː}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கால்}} ('leg')

| ā

| style="text-align:left;" | slow, car

{{IPA|aɪ}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கைது}} ('arrest')

| ai

| style="text-align:left;" |Indian accent, bite

{{IPA|aʊ}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கௌதாரி}} (a type of bird)

| au

| style="text-align:left;" |Indian accent house

{{IPA link|e̞|e}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கெடு}} ('time limit')

| e

| style="text-align:left;" | bet

{{IPA link|e̞|eː}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கேடு}} ('destruction')

| ē

| style="text-align:left;" | Most south asian accents, may

{{IPA link|i}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கிரி}} ('mountain')

| i

| style="text-align:left;" | machine

{{IPA link|i|iː}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கீரி}} ('mongoose')

| ī

| style="text-align:left;" | seep

{{IPA link|o̞|o}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கொடு}} ('give')

| o

| style="text-align:left;" | story (short)

{{IPA link|o̞|oː}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கோடு}} ('a line drawn')

| ō

| style="text-align:left;" | story (long)

{{IPA link|u}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|குடம்}} ('pot')

| u

| style="text-align:left;" | foot

{{IPA link|u|uː}}

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|கூடம்}} ('hall')

| ū

| style="text-align:left;" | cool

{{IPA link|ɯ}}word final /u/ is pronounced as [ɯ]

| style="text-align:left;" |{{lang|ta|அழகு}} ('beauty')

| It is a phonetic variant. Mostly not defined by ISO 15919. Approximated to either u, or ū

| style="text-align:left;" | foot, but with the lips unrounded, turkish kırmızı

{{IPA link|ã| ̃}}

| {{lang|ta|வரான்}}, {{lang|ta|வரோம்}} (spoken Tamil only)

| -

| style="text-align:left;" | nasal vowel
([ãː], [õː], etc.)

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! colspan="3"| Suprasegmentals

IPA

! Notes

{{IPA link|ˈ|ˈ◌}}

| colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" | stress
(placed before stressed syllable)

{{IPA link|ː|◌ː}}

| colspan="2" style="text-align:left;" | doubled consonant
(placed after doubled consonant)

|}

Notes

{{reflist}}

Bibliography

{{Refbegin}}

  • {{citation

|last=Keane

|first=Elinor

|year=2004

|title=Tamil

|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association

|volume=34

|issue=1

|pages=111–116

|doi=10.1017/S0025100304001549

}}

{{Refend}}

See also

  • {{clc|Pages with Tamil IPA|pages}}

External links

  • [http://www.virtualvinodh.com/tamil-ipa Tamil to IPA converter] : Free online tool to convert Tamil text to IPA phonetic transcription.

{{IPA keys}}