Native American language Native American culture Native American nations

Pilaga Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

Welcome to our Pilaga alphabet page! The following charts show the pronunciation for the Pilaga orthography we have used on our site, as well as some alternate spellings that you may find in other books and websites.

Sponsored Links

Pilaga Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Pilaga 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.

Pilaga Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Pilaga pronunciation:
č	ch	t	Like ch in chair.
d		d	Like the d in day.
g		g	Like the g in gold.
h	j	h	Like h in hay.
k	c, qu	k	Like the soft k in sky.
l		l	Like l in light.
ʎ	ly	l^y	Like lli in million.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
ñ	ny	n^y	Like Spanish ñ, somewhat like ny in canyon.
p		p	Like the soft p in spy.
q		q	Like English "k," only pronounced further back in the throat.
s	z, c	s	Like the s in sun.
sh	š, x		Like the sh in shell.
t		t	Like the soft t in star.
w	hu	w	Like w in way.
x	g, ʕ, 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."
y		j	Like y in yes.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Pilaga Indian Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

   Pilaga words
   Guaicuruan languages
   Native Americans of South America