Candoshi 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:	a	Like a only held longer.
i		i	Like the i in police.
ia	e	e	Like the a in gate.
ii	i·, i:	i	Like i only held longer.
o		o	Like the o in note.
oo	o·, o:, uu	o	Like o only held longer.
u		u	Like the u in flute.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
b	mb, mp	mb	A nasalized b sound, a little like the one in ember.
ch	č	t	Like ch in chair.
d	nd, nt	nd	A nasalized d sound, a little like the one in under.
g	ng, nk	ŋg	A nasalized g sound, like the ng in finger.
h	j	h	Like h in hay.
k	c, qu	k	Like k in key.
ll	j, nj, nch, ñ	nd	A nasalized j sound, a little like the one in ninja.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
nts	nds, dz	ndz	A nasalized ds sound, a little like the one in hands.
nx	zh, nzh	nʐ	This sound does not exist in English or Spanish. It is a nasalized retroflex z sound, a little like the nge in French melange.
p		p	Like the p in pie.
r			Like the r in Spanish pero, somewhat like the tt in American English butter.
s		s	Like s in see.
sh	x		Like sh in shell.
t		t	Like the t in tell.
ts	tz	ts	Like the ts in tsunami.
v	hu, w	w ~ β	Like w in way. Sometimes if is pronounced more like the bilabial v sound in Spanish navidad.
x	ch, chr	tʂ	This sound does not exist in English or Spanish. It is a retroflex ch sound like the cz of Polish.
y		j	Like y in yes.
z	sh, shr	ʂ	This sound does not exist in English or Spanish. It is a retroflex s sound like the sz of Polish.
’	h		A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

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