CONNECTORS

Both ‘laam’ and ‘miim’ are connectors and follow the same principles of joining with other letters in a word as we’ve seen in the past. We’ll start by looking at a few words with ‘laam’ first, before we move on to ‘miim’.

18.2.1: In the Initial position

To see how ‘laam’ changes shape and joins with other letters, let’s look at the simple word “laa” (ला), meaning “bring”:

Above: The word “laa”. Notice the change in shape of the ‘laam’.

Here’s the initial-position short-form of ‘laam’ in an isolated view:

Above: Comparative illustrating the short-form assumed by ‘laam’ in the initial position when joining with ‘alif’

Following that, let’s look at the word “laanaa” (लाना), meaning “bring/to bring”:

Above: ‘laam’ + ‘alif’ + ‘nuun’ + ‘alif’ = “laanaa”

Or, in the short-form notation:

Above: Short-form of ‘laam’ + ‘alif’ + short-form of ‘nuun’ + ‘alif’ = “laanaa”

The examples presented above show how ‘laam’ join with ‘alif’. Now let’s look at words where it joins with other consonants, starting with the word “lab” (लब), meaning “lips”:

Above: ‘laam’ + ‘be’ = “lab”

We can see a slightly different short-form of the ‘laam’ here. See the illustration below to compare:

Above: Comparative illustrating the short-form assumed by ‘laam’ in the initial position when joining with a consonant

Let’s take this a step further and look at the word “leTnaa” (लेटना), meaning “rest/to lie down”:

Above: ‘laam’ + ‘ba.Dii ye’ + ‘Te’ + ‘nuun’ + 'alif' = “leTnaa”

18.2.2: In the Medial position

The medial-position short-form of ‘laam’ is the same as the one it assumes in the initial position, as can be seen in the word “talab” (तलब), meaning “demand/desire”:

Above: The word “talab”. Notice the way the ‘laam’ connects on either side.

Here’s the short-form of ‘laam’ in an isolated view:

Above: Comparative illustrating the short-form assumed by ‘laam’ in the medial position in the word “talab”

And here’s a break-down of the word “talab”:

Above: ‘toey’ + ‘laam’ + ‘be’ = “talab”

Similarly, here’s the word “Galat” (ग़लत), meaning “wrong”:

Above: ‘Gain’ + ‘laam’ + ‘toey’ = “Galat”

18.2.3: In the Final position

As is common with Urdu letters, ‘laam’ does not change shape in the final position. This can be seen in the simple word “pal” (पल), meaning “moment”:

Above: The word “pal”. Notice that ‘laam’ does not change its shape.

To understand this, look at the words "pal" and "palaT" below:

Above: The 'laam' descends below the base-line when in the final position in the word "pal"

Notice that, in the word "pal" above, the 'laam' is in the final position and descends far below when connecting with the 'pe'. Whereas, it remains above the base-line in its medial position in the word "palaT".

And here’s a break-down of the word "pal":

Above: ‘pe’ + ‘laam’ = “pal”

And here’s one of the most commonly used words in Urdu poetry - “dil” (दिल), meaning “heart”. The letter ‘laam’ can be seen in an unconnected final position here:

Above: ‘daal’ + ‘laam’ = “dil”

And here’s the word “bulbul” (बुलबुल), meaning “nightingale”. ‘laam’ can be seen in both, its medial and final position forms here:

Above: ‘be’ + ‘laam’ + ‘be’ + ‘laam’ = “bulbul”

18.2.4: Some more words

And here are a few more words with the letter ‘laam’ that you can learn.

And now, let’s move on to seeing how the ‘do chashmii he’ works with ‘kaaf’ and ‘gaaf’. This should be interesting.