Assamese alphabet

The script presently has a total of 11 vowel letters, used to represent the eight main vowel sounds of Assamese, along with a number of vowel diphthongs. All of these are used in both Assamese and Bengali, the two main languages using the script. In addition to the vowel system in the Bengali alphabet the Assamese alphabet has an additional "matra" (ʼ) that is used to represent the phonemes অʼ and এʼ. Some of the vowel letters have different sounds depending on the word, and a number of vowel distinctions preserved in the writing system are not pronounced as such in modern spoken Assamese or Bengali. For example, the Assamese script has two symbols for the vowel sound [i] and two symbols for the vowel sound [u]. This redundancy stems from the time when this script was used to write Sanskrit, a language that had a short [i] and a long [iː], and a short [u] and a long [uː]. These letters are preserved in the Assamese script with their traditional names of hôrswô i (lit. 'short i') and dirghô i (lit. 'long i'), etc., despite the fact that they are no longer pronounced differently in ordinary speech.

Vowel signs can be used in conjunction with consonants to modify the pronunciation of the consonant (here exemplified by ক, kô). When no vowel is written, the vowel অ (ô or o) is often assumed. To specifically denote the absence of a vowel, (্) may be written underneath the consonant.

The text says: "Sri Sri Môt Xiwô Xinghô Môharaza". The "র" is used as "ৱ" in this 18th-century manuscript, just as in modern Mithilakshar.

The names of the consonant letters in Assamese are typically just the consonant's main pronunciation plus the inherent vowel ô. Since the inherent vowel is assumed and not written, most letters' names look identical to the letter itself (e.g. the name of the letter ঘ is itself ঘ ghô). Some letters that have lost their distinctive pronunciation in Modern Assamese are called by a more elaborate name. For example, since the consonant phoneme /n/ can be written ন, ণ, or ঞ (depending on the spelling of the particular word), these letters are not simply called no; instead, they are called ন dontiya no ("dental n"), ণ murdhoinno no ("retroflex n"), and ঞ nio. Similarly, the phoneme /x/ can be written as শ taloibbo xo ("palatal x"), ষ murdhoinno xo ("retroflex x"), or স dontia xo ("dental x"), the phoneme /s/ can be written using চ prothom sô ("first s") or ছ ditio so ("second s"), and the phoneme /z/ can be written using জ borgia zo ("row z" = "the z included in the five rows of stop consonants") or য ontostho zo ("z situated between" = "the z that comes between the five rows of stop consonants and the row of sibilants"), depending on the standard spelling of the particular word.

A few of Asamiya Consonant Conjuncts.

Asamiya vowel diacritics.

Assamese or Asamiya consonants include thirty three pure consonant letters in Assamese alphabet and each letter represents a single sound with an inherent vowel, the short vowel /a /.

The first twenty-five consonants letters are called sporxo borno. These sporxo bornos are again divided into five borgos. Therefore, these twenty-five letters are also called borgio borno.

The Assamese consonants are typically just the consonant's main pronunciation plus the inherent vowel o. The inherent vowel is assumed and not written, thus, names of most letters look identical to the letter itself (e.g. the name of the letter ঘ is itself ঘ gho).

Some letters have lost their distinctive pronunciation in modern Assamese are called by a more elaborate name. For example, since the consonant phoneme /n/ can be written ন, ণ, or ঞ (depending on the spelling of the particular word), these letters are not simply called no; instead, they are called ন dointo no ("dental n"), ণ murdhoinno no ("cerebral n"), and ঞ nio.

Similarly, the phoneme /x/ can be written as শ taloibbo xo ("palatal x"), ষ murdh9inno xo ("cerebral x"), or স dointo xo ("dental x"), the phoneme /s/ can be written using চ prothom so ("first s") or ছ ditio so ("second s"), and the phoneme /z/ can be written using জ borgio zo ("row z" = "the z included in the five rows of stop consonants") or য ontostho zo ("z situated between" = "the z that comes between the five rows of stop consonants and the row of sibilants"), depending on the standard spelling of the particular word.

The consonants can be arranged in following groups:

Group: 1 - Gutturals

Group: 2 - Palatals

Group: 3 - Cerebrals or Retroflex

Group: 4 - Dentals

Group: 5 - Labials

Group: 6 - Semivowels

Group: 7 - Sibilants

Group: 8 - Aspirate

Group: 9 - Anuxāra

Group: 9 - Bixarga

Group: 10 - Candrabindu (anunāsika)

• The letters শ (talôibbya xô), ষ (murdhôinnya xô), স (dôntiya xô) and হ (hô) are called usma barna
• The letters য (za), ৰ (ra), ল (la) and ৱ (wa) are called ôntôsthô barna
• The letters ড় (daré ṛa) and ঢ় (dharé ṛha) are phonetically similar to /ra/
• The letter য (ôntôsthô zô) is articulated like 'ôntôsthô yô' in the word medial and final position. To denote the ôntôsthô ẏô, the letter য় (ôntôsthô ẏô) is used in Assamese
• ৎ (khanda ṯ) means the consonant letter Tö (dôntiya ta) without the inherent vowel

To write a consonant without the inherent vowel the halant sign is used below the base glyph. In Assamese this sign is called haxanta. (্)

In Assamese, the combination of three consonants is possible without their intervening vowels. There are about 122 conjunct letters. A few conjunct letters are given below:

Anuxôr ( ং ) indicates a nasal consonant sound (velar). When an anuxar comes before a consonant belonging to any of the 5 bargas, it represents the nasal consonant belonging to that barga.

Chandrabindu ( ঁ ) denotes nasalization of the vowel that is attached to it .

Bixargô ( ঃ ) represents a sound similar to /h /.

According to Dr. G. C. Goswami the number of two-phoneme clusters is 143 symbolised by 174 conjunct letters. Three phoneme clusters are 21 in number, which are written by 27 conjunct clusters. A few of them are given hereafter as examples: