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A word as to the pronunciation of Hindu names may help
the reader. The consonants are very similar to ours, except for
the " h " in combinations like " bh," " th," etc. This " h " is
not pronounced as in " the," etc., but separately as in " post
haste," " red hot," etc. Our own " sh " sound is indicated by
an italic letter S or s. The italic n is used for the Sanskrit
sound which more nearly approaches
" ng
" as we hear it in
"
singer," but not in " finger." The vowel " a " has the dull
and almost indistinguishable sound of " u " in " fun," except
when it is followed by " h " or is marked with an accent. Then
it takes the sound of " a " in " far." The other vowels follow
nearly the Italian system, " e " as in " prey," " i " as in " marine,"
"u" as in "rule." Thus, "Upanishad" is pronounced
oo-pun-ees-hud, and " tfakuntala " is shu-koon-tu-lah.