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The following charts show the pronunciation for the Caddo orthography 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 what or the a in father. | |
| aa | a![]() |
Like the a in father, only held longer. | |
| i | i ~ I | Like the ea in heat or the i in hit. | |
| ii | i![]() |
Like the ea in heat, only held longer. | |
| u | ~ u |
Like the u in put or the u in flute. | |
| uu | u![]() |
Like the u in flute, only held longer. |
Diphthongs| Character We Use: |
Sometimes Also Used: |
IPA symbol: | How To Pronounce It: |
| ay | aj | Like English eye. | |
| aw | aw | Like ou in out. | |
| iw | iw | Like a child saying ew! | |
| uy | uy | Like the uoy in buoy. |
Consonants| Character We Use: |
Sometimes Also Used: |
IPA symbol: | How To Pronounce It: |
| b | b | Like b in ball. | |
| ch | t![]() |
Like ch in chair. | |
| ch' | t ' |
Like ch in char, but with a catch after it (like ch'ar). | |
| d | d | Like d in day. | |
| h | h | Like h in heart. | |
| k | k | Like k in skate. | |
| k' | k' | Like k in key, but with a catch after it (like k'ey). | |
| m | m | Like m in moon. | |
| n | n | Like n in night. | |
| p | p | Like p in spill. | |
| s | s | Like s in sing. | |
| sh | ![]() |
Like sh in shore. | |
| t | t | Like t in sty. | |
| t' | t' | Like t in tie, but with a catch after it (like t'ie). | |
| ts | ts | Like ts in tsunami. | |
| ts' | ts' | Like ts in tsunami, but with a catch after it (like ts'unami.) | |
| w | w | Like w in way. | |
| y | j | Like y in yes. | |
| ’ | ![]() |
A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh." |
Tone| a | low tone |
| á | high tone |
| àa | falling tone |
Double Consonants
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