Alphabet
Vowels
| a | e i | o u |
| (a˘) | ι | u, ϋ |
| ᵃ | ᵢ | ᵤ |
| aₐ | eᵢ iᵢ | oᵤ |
Consonants
| — | — | — | — | — | (dl) |
| p | t | ts | k, kᵘ | q | — |
| p! | t! | ts! | k!, k!ᵘ | q! | — |
| — | s | — | (x̯)[1] | x̣ | ł |
| m | n | — | — | — | — |
| h, w, y, ʼ | |||||
| · | long sounds. |
| : | very long sounds. |
| ˘ | short sounds. |
| ′ | principal stress accent. |
| ‵ | secondary stress accent. |
| . | separate sounds, particularly in t.s and t.ł, indicating that these sounds are not affricatives. |
| ′ | high tone. |
| ˆ | sinking tone. |
| Description of Sounds | |
| e, i | represent a sound which is by origin probably a somewhat open i. In contact with velars and palatals, it inclines toward the sound of e. When long, the sound is always slightly diphthongized. |
| o, u | represent a u with very slight rounding of lips. In contact with velars, it inclines toward the sound of o. When long, the sound is always slightly diphthongized. |
| (a˘), ι, υ | open vowels, often followed by long consonants. |
| ϋ | open short, about as German ü in Hütte. The pronunciation of this vowel differs very much among individuals. Some pronounce a clear ι; others a u. All admit that both these extreme forms are correct. |
| ᵃ, ⁱ, ᵘ | vocalic resonance of consonants. |
| ₐ, ₑ, ᵢ, ᵤ | short weak vowels, very slightly voiced. |
| ᴇ | very weak vowel of indeterminate timber, lips, palate, and tongue almost in rest position, larynx not raised. |
| aₐ, eᵢ, iᵢ, oᵤ | diphthongized vowels, ending with a decided glottal stricture, so as to be set off from the following consonants, without, however, forming a complete glottal stop. |
| p, t, ts, k, kᵘ, q | strongly aspirated surd stops (kᵘ labialized, q velar). ts is pronounced by many individuals as tc; but careful speakers, particularly old men, pronounced a clear ts. When followed by w or y, the stops lose some of the strength of their aspiration. Terminal k is somewhat palatalized, except when it follows a u. |
| p!, t!, ts!, k!, q! | very strong glottalized consonants (fortis). ts! has in its continuant part a pure s character. |
| s | as in English. |
| x̣ | velar spirant. |
| ł | voiceless l. |
| dl | voiced affricative, only in the word kudlidlus ("butterfly"). |
| m, n | often strongly sonant, with sonancy beginning suddenly before complete labial or lingual closure. |
| ʼ | glottal stop. |
| ʽ | aspiration. All surd stops are strongly aspirated, but the aspiration has been indicated only in words beginning with aₐʽ. |
The primary accent is always on the penultima, the weak vowels, ₐ, ᵢ, ᵤ, not being counted.
- ↑ Only in Coyote's pronunciation.