Seraiki Sounds (Translation and Analysis)

Abstract

In Saraiki, there are a total of 56 sounds (including consonants, vowels, and semi-vowels in their symbolic phonetic forms). According to Dr. Christopher Shackle, out of these letters of the alphabet, 48 are consonants. Although these sounds are part of the Saraiki alphabet, many of them cannot be pronounced correctly by native Saraiki speakers. However, if those people are given practice, they can learn to pronounce them. In everyday speech, though, most speakers cannot articulate them accurately. Many of these sounds are foreign, particularly those from Arabic and Persian. Saraiki sounds are commonly divided into four categories: The first category consists of sounds that are also found in Semitic, Aryan, and Dravidian languages. These are generally the fundamental sounds present in almost every language in some form. In Saraiki, these sounds are represented with corresponding letters of the alphabet.