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Urdu letter count

Urdu translation: 37 Letters of Alphabet

06:30 Jun 30, 2012
English to Urdu translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Urdu letter information
English term or phrase: Urdu letter count
Dear Translators,

I help me by letting me know the below mentioned information for Urdu language

1.Vowels count -
2. Consonants count -
3. Their components/combined form count =
4. Any other concept similar to them and their count - like characters and their count in chinese, etc as some languages may have concepts that we are not aware of at this time like Chinese does not have consonants. -
5. If the language has standard alphabet meaning words like in English-US, Hindi or not. -
Any special characters count. -

Thanks,

Sahil Saifi
lingvopedia
India
Local time: 20:46
Urdu translation:37 Letters of Alphabet
Explanation:
In Urdu alphabet, it is the first letter "ا" [ALIF] which is used as a vowel. We may count another letter "ع" as a vowel. The rest, i.e. 35 letters, are all consonants.

The above detail is according to the orthographic (i.e. written) alphabet of Urdu. If we talk in terms of phonology of Urdu (i.e. how the sounds are spoken), then we find no consensus on the exact quantity of Urdu vowels and consonants. An early researcher, Dr. Moizuddin, in his M. Phil thesis (that he completed as a student at University College London, UK, in 1967), suggests 47 Urdu phonemes, with 10 vowels and 37 consonants. A much more reliable division (on the basis of sound) is suggested by Dr. Sohail Bokhari in his book "Phonology of Urdu Language." In it, he mentions 24 vowels and 36 consonants.

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Note added at 1 hr (2012-06-30 08:08:37 GMT)
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Please note that, if we talk in terms of combined-alphabet (where ھ sound is combined with the letters, such as ب، پ، ت etc.), then we will have additional 10 (combined) letters.
Selected response from:

Dr. Muhammad Salman Riaz
Pakistan
Local time: 20:16
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +137 Letters of Alphabet
Dr. Muhammad Salman Riaz


  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
urdu letter count
37 Letters of Alphabet


Explanation:
In Urdu alphabet, it is the first letter "ا" [ALIF] which is used as a vowel. We may count another letter "ع" as a vowel. The rest, i.e. 35 letters, are all consonants.

The above detail is according to the orthographic (i.e. written) alphabet of Urdu. If we talk in terms of phonology of Urdu (i.e. how the sounds are spoken), then we find no consensus on the exact quantity of Urdu vowels and consonants. An early researcher, Dr. Moizuddin, in his M. Phil thesis (that he completed as a student at University College London, UK, in 1967), suggests 47 Urdu phonemes, with 10 vowels and 37 consonants. A much more reliable division (on the basis of sound) is suggested by Dr. Sohail Bokhari in his book "Phonology of Urdu Language." In it, he mentions 24 vowels and 36 consonants.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2012-06-30 08:08:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Please note that, if we talk in terms of combined-alphabet (where ھ sound is combined with the letters, such as ب، پ، ت etc.), then we will have additional 10 (combined) letters.

Dr. Muhammad Salman Riaz
Pakistan
Local time: 20:16
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Urdu

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  abufaraz: Nice Explanation of Urdu alphabets which is helpful for research purpose.
3 hrs
  -> Jazak ALLAH for your compliment, brother.
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