Rules for the Pronunciation of the Proper Names
Observe, that in order to secure the correct pronunciation of the title of this Drama, ‘Sakuntalá’ has been spelt ‘[S’]akoontalá,’ the u of [S’]akuntalá being pronounced like the u in the English word rule.
The vowel a must invariably be pronounced with a dull sound, like the a in organ, or the u in gun, sun. Dushyanta must therefore be pronounced as if written Dooshyunta. The long vowel á is pronounced like the a in last, cart; i like the i in pin, sin; í like the i in marine; e like the e in prey; o like the o in so; ai like the ai in aisle; au like au in the German word haus, or like the ou in our.
The consonants are generally pronounced as in English, but g has always the sound of g in gun, give, never of g in gin. S with the accent over it (s), has the sound of s in sure, or of the last s in session.