Help:Phonetic Renderings
ISSUES TO DISCUSS
- Sherap vs the common usage sherab
- Pema vs Padma - What to do?
- Shentong vs Zhentong
Tibetan Phonetics
This guide will show where phonetic spellings diverge from Wylie spelling. The overall idea is to be as simple, easy and recognizable as possible. This is the system detailed in the Style Sheet from the Damngak Dzo Translation Project created by Elizabeth Callahan, Sarah Harding, and Tracy Davis for Shambhala Publications.
Consonants
Some consonants differ from their Wylie transliteration. (Here Wylie is given in capitals throughout.):
- CA (and CHA) become cha
- TSHA (and TSA) become tsa
- KHA remains the same, but
- PHA and THA become pa and ta
- DZA becomes za, except at the beginning of a word (thus Tenzin, but Dzigar)
- ZA and ZHA remain za and zha.
- Final consonants
- Final G becomes k. Thus DGE LUGS becomes Geluk, not Gelug.
- Final B becomes p. Thus THUB BSTAN becomes Tupten, not Thubten.
- Final D and S consonants should be absent in phonetic spellings.
Vowels
- Vowels fronted by D, L, N, S change as follows:
- Fronted O becomes ö, thus BON becomes Bön. (But U does not need to be ü)
- Fronted A becomes e when fronted by a D, N, or S. But when an A is fronted by an L, it remains an a. For example RGYAL MTSHAN becomes Gyaltsen and DPAL LDAN becomes palden.
- I and E never change. Use of the French é is deemed unnecessary. On the rare occasion that a word could be wildly mispronounced, such as RIS MED, the translator can find a creative solution, such as ri-me.
- A-CHUNG is omitted from phonetic spelling except when carrying the gigu, in which case it is represented by an i. For example, SRID PA'I 'KHOR LO becomes sipai khorlo.
- The wasur is omitted from phonetic spelling, but see not about Sanskrit words below.
Consonant clusters
- Unvoiced gutterals and labials with rata (KRA, KHRA, PRA, PHRA) BECOME TRA. For example, KHRI becomes tri (except for the name Tashi). Voiced gutterals and labials with rata (GRA, BRA) become dra. For example, SGROL MA becomes Drolma. SRA, however, is rendered sa.
- KYA, KHYA, GYA remain kya, khya, gya.
- PYA and PHYA become cha, and BYA becomes ja.
- MYA becomes nya.
- ZLA becomes da.
- SUPERSCRIBED letters are not transcribed phonetically, with the exception of L in the syllable LHA, which remains lha.
Syllables
We group Tibetan words into syllable pairs, avoiding hyphens. A third syllable can be added to the pair if it is the nominalizing particle ma/mo or pa/po, for example, Tsongkhapa, Namgyalma, Naljorma.
Nasalization
In compounds with nasal onset voice stops, we insert the labial nasal (m) before the labial voiced stop (b) and the dental nasal (n) before other voiced stops. Thus STAG LA ME 'BAR becomes Takla Membar, and DGE 'DUN CHOS ’PHEL becomes Gendun Chöpel.
Doubled consonants
When the above rules give rise to -nng- or -ngg-, the doubled nn or gg is better rendered single. Thus Senge instead of Senggé, Sangye instead of Sanggyé, and Chengawa instead of Chenngawa.
Modern Names
A contemporary Tibetan name should be rendered as the person themself does, e.g., Rinpoche Nawang Gehlek (rather than the standardized Ngawang Gelek Rinpoche).
Sanskrit Words
Sanskrit terms and mantras that appear in Tibetan texts should be rendered as they appear in Sanskrit, e.g., ācārya, svāhā, vajra, padma rather than "atsarya", "soha", "benza", or "pema".
Examples
The following list should demonstrate the application of the above rules, as well as illustrating how we have dealt with syllable breaks. Exceptions from the rules, for words that can be found in English-language dictionaries or are otherwise ubiquitous spellings, are marked with an asterisk (*)
(N.B. This system of phoneticized Tibetan is similar, but not identical, to that developed by the Tibetan and Himalayan Library, which is described in detail at www.thlib.org/reference/transliteration/#essay=/thl/phonetics/s/b1.)
- *Amdo
- bardo
- Bönpo
- Butön
- Chakna Dorje
- Changkya Rölpai
- Dorje
- Chengawa
- Chekawa
- Chenrezik
- Chöpel
- chöten
- Desi Sangye Gyatso
- Do Khyentse Yeshe
- Dorje
- Döndrup
- Dorje Chang
- Dorje Drolö
- Dorje Naljorma
- Dorje Purpa
- Dorje Sempa
- Drakpa Gyaltsen
- Drepung Losaling
- Drigung
- drilbu
- Drölma
- Dromtönpa
- Drukpa
- Dukyi Khorlo
- dzokchen
- dzokrim
- Geluk
- Ganden
- Jangtse
- Ganden
- Shartse
- Gendun Chöhel
- Gongpa Rapsal
- Gyalpo
- Gyaltsap Je
- gyalwa
- gyu
- jangchup sempa
- Jamgön Kongtrul
- Lodrö Taye
- Jampalyang
- Jamyang Shepa
- Jonang
- Kadam
- Kagyu
- Kangyur
- Karmapa
- khandroma
- Khedrup Je
- Khorlo Demchok
- Khyentse
- könchok sum
- Kunga
- kyilkhor
- lama
- lamdre
- lamrim
- Lekden
- Lhasa
- Lhundrup
- Lodrö Gyaltsen
- Losang Drakpa
- Machik Lapdrön
- Marpa
- Mikyö Dorje
- Milarepa
- Mindröling
- Mipam Gyatso
- Mitrukpa
- Nakpopa
- Namgyalma
- Namkhai Nyingpo
- Namtöse
- Naro Khachö
- ngöndro
- Nyima Özer
- Nyingma
- nyungne
- Palden Lhamo
- *Panchen Lama
- *Panchen Losang
- Chökyi Gyaltsen
- Pema Gyalpo
- Pema Jungne
- Padampa Sangye
- Pakmodrupa
- Pakpalha
- Puntsok
- Purba
- Ralpachen
- rikpa
- rime
- Rinchen
- *Rinpoche
- Sachen Kunga
- Nyingpo
- Śākya Chokden
- Sakya Paṇḍita
- Sangye
- Sangye Menla
- Senge Dradok
- Shangpa Kagyu
- ? Zhentong ?
- Zhije
- Zhiwalha
- Sipai Khorlo
- Songtsen Gampo
- Taklung
- *tashi delek
- Tengyur
- Tenzin
- tangka
- Tangtong Gyalpo
- Tupten
- Tuken Chökyi
- Nyima
- Tokme Zangpo
- tonglen
- Trinle
- Trisong *Detsen
- trulku
- tsampa
- tsatsa
- Tsepakme
- Tsewang Rikzin
- tsok
- Tsongkhapa
- Tsultrim Nyima
- Yangchenma
- Yeshe Tsogyal
- Yönten Gyatso
