Note on the Diacritical
Marks Used
Consistently
througout this book, we have used a number of diacritical marks, to emphasize
the sound of a vowel or a consonant. The "upper bar", also
called the macron and symbolized thus  ,
is the common diacritical mark you would encounter. This mark is used in
conjunction with a number of vowels. It indicates that the symbol (vowel) over
which it is used has to be elongated while pronouncing it. Thus the sound of the
symbol A when coupled with a macron thus, 
, suggests an elongation of the basic sound of the symbol.
Other diacritical marks that you
would encounter in this book are the cedilla, the symbol for which is 
and is used beneath the consonants C and Ch in this primer; the circumflex
, the tilde and the umlaut
. The pronunciation of the specific vowels or consonants that use these
diacritical marks would become quite apparent to you once you go through the
explanations that follow.
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Introduction
