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Waimiri-Atroari Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

The following charts show the pronunciation for the Waimiri-Atroari 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		e	Like Spanish e, somewhat like the a in gate.
i		i	Like the i in police.
o		o	Like the o in note.
u		u	Like the u in flute.
y	i, ü	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.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
b		b	Like b in boy.
d		d	Like d in day.
k	c, qu	k	Like the soft k in sky.
h		h	Like h in hay.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
p		p	Like the soft p in spin.
r			Like the tt in English butter.
s	z	s	Like the s in sun.
t		t	Like the soft t in star.
w	hu	w	Like w in way.
x	sh		Like sh in shell.
y		j	Like y in yes.

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