Pemon Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

˜Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
a		a	Like the a in father.
e	ee	e ~ ε	Like the e sound in Spanish, similar to the a in gate. In an unstressed syllable it is often pronounced more like the e in get.
i	ii	i	Like the i in police.
ï	y, i	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.
o	oo	o~	Like o in note. Sometimes it is pronounced more like the au in naughty.
ö		ø ~ ə	Somewhat like the ay in say, only pronounced with rounded lips. This is the same ö sound used in German. In an unstressed syllable it is often pronounced more like the a in about.
u		u	Like u in flute.

˜Diphthongs

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Say It:
ai	ay	aj	Like English eye.
au		aw	Like ow in cow.
ei	ey	ej	Like ay in say.
oi	oy	j	Like oy in English boy.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
ch		t	Like ch in cheese.
k	c, qu	k	Like the soft k sound in English ski.
kw	qu	kw	Like qu in queen.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
ñ		n	Like ny in canyon.
ng		ŋ	Like ng in sing.
p		p	Like the soft p in spin.
r	l		Similar to the ll in English bellow, only pronounced more quickly (so that the tongue only flaps once against the top of the mouth.)
s		s	Like the s in sun.
t		t	Like the soft t in star.
w	hu	w	Like w in way.
y		j	Like y in yes.
’	, ?, k		A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

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