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Achagua Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

Welcome to our Achagua alphabet page! The following charts show the pronunciation for the Achagua orthography we have used on our site, as well as some alternate spellings that you may find in other books and websites.

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Achagua Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Achagua pronunciation:
a		a	Like the a in father.
aa	a·	a	Like a only held longer.
e		e	Like the e sound in Spanish, similar to the a in gate.
ee	e·, e:	e	Like e only held longer.
i		i	Like the i in police.
ii	i·, i:	i	Like i only held longer.
o		o	Like the o in note.
oo	o·, o:	o	Like o only held longer.
u		u	Like the u in flute.
uu	u·, u:	u	Like u only held longer.

Achagua Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Achagua pronunciation:
c	s, k	s ~ k	As in the Spanish alphabet (from which the Achagua alphabet was adapted), c represents both a 'hard c' (as in cold) and a 'soft c' (as in city). It is pronounced hard before a, o, or u and soft before e or i.
ch	č	t	Like ch in chair.
cu	kw, qu	kw ~ k^w	Like qu in English queen.
hu	w	w	Like w in way.
j		h	Like h in hay.
l		l	Like l in light, quickly tapped.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
p		p	Like the p in pie.
qu	k	k	As in the Spanish alphabet (from which the Achagua alphabet was adapted), both qu and c can represent the k sound in English key).
r			Like the r in Spanish pero, somewhat like the tt in American English butter.
rr	zh		Like the j in French Jacques, or the ge in the English word garage.
sh	x		Like sh in shell.
t		t	Like the t in tell.
y		j	Like y in yes.
z	s	s	As in the Spanish alphabet (from which the Achagua alphabet was adapted), both z and c can represent both the s sound in English sun).
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Achagua Indian Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

   Achagua-Spanish dictionary (Amazon affilaite link)
   Achagua picture dictionary
   Arawaks
   Indians of Colombia