Ashaninka 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	Like the o in note.
oo	o·, o:	o	Like o only held longer.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
c	s, k	s ~ k	As in the Spanish alphabet (from which the Ashaninka 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 ~ kw	Like qu in English queen.
j		h	Like h in hay.
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 Ashaninka 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.
s	s	s	Like s in sun.
sh	x		Like sh in shell.
t		t	Like the t in tell.
ts	tz	ts	Like the ts in tsunami. In some dialects, this sound is not distinct and is pronounced the same as ch.
v	w, hu	w ~ v	Like w in wail or v in veil, depending on the dialect and the following vowel.
y		j	Like y in yes).
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

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