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Akawaio Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

The following charts show the pronunciation for the Akawaio spellings we have used on our site, as well as some alternate spellings that you may find in other books and websites.

˜Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
a		a	Like the a in father.
e	ee	e ~ ε	Like the e sound in Spanish, similar to the a in gate. In an unstressed syllable it is often pronounced more like the e in get.
i	ii	i ~ I	Like the i in police. In an unstressed syllable it is sometimes pronounced more like the i in bit.
ï	y, i	i	This sound does not exist in English. It sounds like the i in police only pronounced further back in the mouth. If you've ever heard a Slavic language like Russian or Polish being spoken, it is the same "dark i" sound from those languages.
o	oo	o ~	Like o in note. Sometimes it is pronounced more like the au in naughty.
ö		ø ~ ə	Somewhat like the ay in say, only pronounced with rounded lips. This is the same ö sound used in German. In an unstressed syllable it is often pronounced more like the a in about.
u	uu	u	Like u in flute. In an unstressed syllable it is sometimes pronounced more like the u in put.

˜Diphthongs

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Say It:
ai	ay	aj	Like English eye.
au		aw	Like ow in cow.
ei	ey	ej	Like ay in say.
oi	oy	j	Like oy in English boy.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
b		b	Like b in boy.
ch		t	Like ch in cheese.
d		d	Like d in day.
g		g	Like g in good.
j		d	Like j in jar.
k	c, qu	k	Like the soft k sound in English ski.
kw	qu	kw	Like qu in queen.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
ñ		n	Like ny in canyon.
ng		ŋ	Like ng in sing.
p		p	Like the soft p in spin.
r	l		Similar to the ll in English bellow, only pronounced more quickly (so that the tongue only flaps once against the top of the mouth.)
s		s	Like the s in sun.
sh			Like sh in shell.
t		t	Like the soft t in star.
w	hu	w	Like w in way.
y		j	Like y in yes.
z		z	Like the z in zoo.
zh	rr		Like the ge at the end of garage.
’	, ?, k		A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

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