Guajiro 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		ε	Like the e in get.
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 so or the aw in saw.
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.
ü	i, y	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.
üü	ii, yy	i	Like ü only held longer.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
ch	č	t	Like ch in chair.
j	h	h	Like h in hay.
k	c, qu	k	Like k in key.
l	r		Similar to the ll in English bellow, only pronounced more quickly (so that the tongue only flaps once against the top of the mouth.)
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
ñ		ny	Like ny in canyon.
p		p	Like the p in pie.
r	rr	r	Like the rolling r in Spanish rojo.
s		s	Like s in sun.
sh	x		Like sh in shell.
t		t	Like the t in tell.
w	hu	w	Like w in way.
v	b	β	Like v only pronounced between the two lips, as in Spanish navidad.
y		j	Like y in yes.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Back to Native American Cultures
Back to Native American Words
Back to the Languages of Colombia



Native American names Alabama people Beading books Ataniel fiction Tribal tattoo designs

Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages?

or buy some books through this link:

Native Languages of the Americas website © 1998-2008 Contacts and FAQ page