Indian languages American Indian tribes What's new on our site today!

Achumawi Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

The following charts show the pronunciation for the Achumawi spellings we have used on our site, as well as some alternate spellings that you may find in other books and websites. We are not aware of any official Achumawi orthography approved or used by the Pit River tribe.

˜Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
a		a ~ ə	Like the a in father or the a in what.
aa	a:, a·	a	Like a only held longer.
e		e	Like the e sound in Spanish, similar to the a in Kate.
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.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
c	ts, ch	ts ~ t	Like ts in cats or tch in catch.
h		h	Like h in hay.
j		d	Like j in jar.
k		k	Like the soft k in sky.
l		l	Like l in light.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
ng		ŋ	Like ng in sing.
p		p	Like the soft p in spy.
q		q	Like k, only pronounced further back on the palate..
s		s	Like s in see.
sh	š		Like sh in shell.
t		t	Like the soft t in star.
w		w	Like w in way.
x		x	Guttural sound that doesn't exist in English. Like ch in German ach.
y		j	Like y in yes.
z		z	Like z in zoo.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Back to American Indian Words
Back to the Indian Culture homepage
Back to the Indians of California

American Indian Art American Indian Genealogy Cherokee Indian Symbols Bakairi Tribal Tattoos

Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages?