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Atsugewi Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

Welcome to our Atsugewi alphabet page! The following charts show how to pronounce words using the Atsugewi orthography we have used on our site, as well as some alternate spellings that you may find in other books and websites. We are not aware of any official Atsugewi orthography approved or used by the Pit River tribe.

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Atsugewi Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Atsugewi pronunciation:
a		a ~ ə	Like the a in father or the a in what.
aa	a:, a·	a	Like the a in father only held longer.
e		e	Like the e sound in Spanish, similar to the a in Kate.
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.
u		u	Like the u in flute.
uu	u:, u·	u	Like u only held longer.

Atsugewi Diphthongs

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Atsugewi pronunciation:
aw	au	aw	Like the ow in cow.
ay		aj	Like English eye.
ew		ew	This sound doesn't really exist in English. It sounds a little like saying the "AO" from "AOL" quickly.
ey	ei	ej	Like the ay in hay.
iw		iw	Like a child saying ew!
oy		oj	Like the oy in boy.
uy		uj	Like the uoy in buoy, or a little like the ewy in chewy said quickly.

Atsugewi Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Atsugewi pronunciation:
c	ts, ch	ts ~ t	Like ts in cats or tch in catch.
h		h	Like h in hay.
j		d	Like j in jar.
k	g, kh	k	Like k in kite.
l		l	Like l in light.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
p	b, ph	p	Like the soft p in spy.
q		q	Like k, only pronounced further back on the palate.
r			Like Spanish r, or like the tt in American English butter.
s		s	Like s in see.
sh	š		Like sh in shell.
t	d, th	t	Like the soft t in star.
w		w	Like w in way.
x		x	Guttural sound that doesn't exist in English. Like ch in German ach.
y		j	Like y in yes.
z		z	Like z in zoo.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Atsugewi Indian Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

   Atsugewi dictionary (Amazon affiliate link)
   Atsugewi
   Atsugewi words
   Atsugewi picture dictionary
   Hokan language family
   List of Native American tribes in California