More about the Hindi and Gujarati D-R:
I realized, I oversimplified the "rule". In Hindi, the flap R is not only between vowels, but also after vowels, isn't it...
I think I'd not be able to put the rules, if Hindi wrote no dot there! Especially as, due to the loss of "inherent a", the R can occur immediately after a consonant as well (pakRo), where D can occur too, can't it (here I cannot think of an example readily, so perhaps I am wrong and D never stands after consonants?). So, ehm, how would the rule be in Gujarati?
This is to computerize a transcription (by no means scientific, but popular, where D will have to be transcribed as "d" and R as "r", now how do we teach the computer to know which ડ ઢ are R RH and which D DH automatically?
Are you able to name the "rules" ?
I'd attempt:
1) after D, NR, L, l, and in the word-initial position, leave D as D
2) everywhere else, substitute D with R
Is that correct or would this yield errors?
Are the diphthongs ai, au pronounced as we transcribe them here (a followed by y,w-glide) or is the first element more like "e", "o" respectively?
Is ઝ pronounced as "z" or as "jh"?
If "z", do you know if it is an all-Gujarat feature, or just a dialect (that would be perceived as rather incorrect by some)?
(We'd happily transcribe jh as "z" in the web-project I am doing it for, as we'd save letters. But only if it does not either weeken understanding - e.g. if j-letter can sound "z" as well, or feel too improper as compared to "jh" pronunciation which I'd expect to be the standard)
Any other points, where there is not 1-to-1 letter-sound correspondence, which I should take care of?
Thanx ahead to GB for further answers (and possibly for bringing some other Guju speaker in, if there's any available) !