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Welcome to our Apalachee alphabet page! The Apalachee language has not been spoken for centuries, and the vocabulary lists on our website come from 17th-century Spanish records. The orthography, therefore, resembles Spanish more than English or linguistic notation. Here is a general pronunciation guide:
Character We Use: |
Sometimes Also Used: |
IPA symbol: | Apalachee pronunciation: |
a | a | Like the a in father. | |
i | I ~ i | Like the i in pit or the i in police. | |
o | o ~ | Like the o in note or the u in put. |
Character We Use: |
Sometimes Also Used: |
IPA symbol: | Apalachee pronunciation: |
b | v, u | b | Like b in bill. |
c | k, qu, q, g | kh | Like k in kite. |
ch | c, č | t | Like ch in chair. |
f | f ~ φ | Like the f in English fair. It was probably originally pronounced bilabially, without touching the upper teeth to the lower lip. | |
gu | w | w | Like w in way. |
h | g | h | Like h in English hay. |
l | l | Like l in light. | |
lz | ł, lh, hl | ł | This sound is a lateral fricative that doesn't really exist in English. It sounds like the "ll" in the Welsh name "Llewellyn." Some English speakers can pronounce it well if they try to pronounce the "breathy l" in the word clue without the c in front of it. |
m | m | Like m in moon. | |
n | n | Like n in night. | |
p | ph | Like p in pie. | |
s | s | Like s in sing. | |
t | th | Like t in tie. | |
y | i | j | Like y in yes. |
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