Hindi sounds and writing system: vowels
Rama Kant Agnihotri · 2022
Hindi is currently written in the Devanaagarii alphabet. This was not always the case. Earlier Hindi and its varieties were also written in the Kaithii , Mahaajani , Perso-Arabic and Shaardaa scripts. A series of efforts have been made to standardise the Devanaagarii alphabet and writing system for representing different Hindi sounds since the 1960s. There are 10 short and long vowel sounds in Hindi. Each alphabet representing the vocalic sounds has both a full form and an alternative short form called maatraa . The full form is used at the beginning of words or when vowel sounds appear in a sequence; the alternative short form is used when the vowel sound appears after a consonant. As in the case of other languages, the oral cavity is kept open for the production of vowel sounds so that there is a free flow of the air stream. Vowel sounds as opposed to consonantal sounds can normally have a longer duration.