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Letter alifu

CONTENTS: [ Writing Animation | Pronunciation Notes | Exercises ]

Writing Animation:
click on the letter-form label at left to open a pop-up window

The detached letter alifu: [aa or vowel carrier] [SOUND]
A word-initial alifu: eye [SOUND]
akhi
A word-medial alifu: envelope [SOUND]
lifaafo
A word-final alifu: a little bit [SOUND]
zaraa

Pronunciation Notes

This letter is one of only two letters in the Sindhi alphabet that does not represent a consonant sound (the second is hamzo).

When it appears in medial or final positions in a word, this letter represents the long vowel [aa] like the vowel in American English "hot".

In initial position in a word, this letter is combined with other vowel symbols and pronounced accordingly ( [i], [u], [a]) when combined with short vowel diacritics, long vowels ( [ii], [e], [uu], [o]) and diphthongs ( [ai] and [au]) when combined with ye or vao).

In the example used here, alifu appears with the diacritic zabar, and represents short [a] like the vowel in American English "hut".

Exercises

1. Visual Discrimination Exercise

Click here for an interactive game

[make sure to close each pop-up window before opening the next one]

2. Writing Exercise

Print out the PDF file and follow the instructions to practice writing alifu: alifu.pdf
[If your printout does not look like the image on the screen go to HELP for advice]