Arawak Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
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 ~ u	Like o in note or u in flute.
oo	o·, o:	o	Like o only held longer.
y	u, i	i	Like the u in upon, only pronounced higher in the mouth.
yy	y:, uu, ii	i	Like y only held longer.

Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
b		b	Like b in boy.
ch	č	t	Like ch in chair.
d		d ~ d	Like d in day. Before i the Arawak pronunciation sounds like the j in jeep.
f	fh	Φ	This sound does not exist in English. It is pronounced by narrowing your lips and blowing through them, as if you were playing a flute.
h		h	Like h in hay.
j	y	j	Like y in yes).
k	c, qu	k	Like the soft k sound in English ski.
kh	c, qu, k	kh	Like the hard k sound in English key.
l		l	Like l in light.
lh	r, r		No exact equivalent in American English. This is a retroflex r, pronounced with the tongue touching the back of the palate. You may recognize this sound if you've heard people from India speaking English. Some American English speakers pronounce this sound in the middle of the word "hurting."
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
p		p	Like the soft p in spin.
r			Like the r in Spanish pero, somewhat like the tt in American English butter.
s	z, c	s	Like the s in sun.
t		t ~ t	Like the soft t in star. Before i the Arawak pronunciation sounds like the ch in cheek.
th	t	th ~ t	Like the hard t in tar. Before i the Arawak pronunciation sounds like the ch in cheek.
w	hu	w	Like w in way.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Arawak Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

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