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Welcome to our Kadiweu alphabet page! The following charts show the pronunciation for the Kadiweu orthography we have used on our site, as well as some alternate spellings that you may find in other books and websites.
Character We Use: |
Sometimes Also Used: |
IPA symbol: | Kadiweu pronunciation: |
a | a | Like the a in father. | |
aa | a: | a: | Like the a in father, only held longer. |
e | e | Like the e sound in Spanish, similar to the a in gate. | |
ee | e: | e: | Like the a in gate, only held longer. |
i | i | Like the i in police. | |
ii | i: | i: | Like the i in police, only held longer. |
o | o | Like the o in note. | |
oo | o: | o: | Like the o in note, only held longer. |
Character We Use: |
Sometimes Also Used: |
IPA symbol: | Kadiweu pronunciation: |
c | k, qu | k | Like the soft k in sky. |
d | d | Like the d in day. | |
g | g | Like the g in gold. | |
G | G ~ | This is a voiced uvular sound that does not exist in English. Some speakers pronounce it like a hard "g" sound pronounced in the back of the throat, while others pronounce it more like a French "r." | |
h | j | h | Like h in hay. |
j | ǰ | d ~ | Like j in jar. Sometimes it is pronounced more like the "ge" at the end of "garage." |
k | q | Like English "k," only pronounced further back in the throat. | |
l | l | Like l in light. | |
m | m | Like m in moon. | |
n | n | Like n in night. | |
p | p | Like the soft p in spy. | |
t | t | Like the soft t in star. | |
w | hu | w | Like w in way. |
x | ch, č | t | Like ch in chair. |
y | j | Like y in yes. | |
’ | A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh." |
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