[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Reference works](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference) › [Vedic Index of Names and Subjects](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.macdonell-keith-1912) › v1.c2.19 # Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c2.19 Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c2.19 - **Language:** English ### [v1.c2.19](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.macdonell-keith-1912.v1.c2.19) Transliteration.—The system here followed is that which has been adopted by the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and is generally employed elsewhere also. The chief difficulties caused to the non-scholar by this method of reproducing Sanskrit words are due, on the one hand, to the inadequacy of the Roman alphabet, which necessitates the use of diacritical marks, and, on the other, to the conventional use of two consonants in English, in certain cases, to represent a single sound, as \*ch\*, \*sh\*, \*ph\*, and \*th\*. The letter \*ṣ\* here is the equivalent of \*sh\* in ‘shun’; \*ś\* is somewhat thinner in pronunciation, like the \*ss\* in ‘session’; \*ṃ\* resembles the \*n\* in the French ‘bon’; and \*ḥ\* the German \*ch\* in ‘ach.’ The palatal \*c\* is to be sounded like the initial \*ch\* in Churchill; \*ch\* has an aspirate sound like that of the ch in the middle of the same word; ph and th are also aspirates, as in the English ‘up-hill’ and ‘ant-hill’ respectively. The vowels must all be pronounced as in Italian: short when unmarked (except e and o, which are always long), long when they have a horizontal stroke above; thus i is sounded as in ‘pin,’ ī like ee in ‘seen.’ The vowel ṛ may be pronounced like ri in ‘risk.’ - [Previous: v1.c2.18](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.macdonell-keith-1912.v1.c2.18) - [Next: v1.c2.20](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.macdonell-keith-1912.v1.c2.20) - [Up: v1.c2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.macdonell-keith-1912.v1.c2) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.macdonell-keith-1912.v1.c2.19](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.macdonell-keith-1912.v1.c2.19) · Pramāṇa