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Shuar Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

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

˜Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
a		a	Like the a in father.
e		i	Like the i in police, only pronounced further back in the throat. If you've ever heard a Slavic language like Russian or Polish being spoken, it is the same "dark i" sound from those languages.
i		i	Like the i in police.
u		u	Like the u in flute.

˜Nasal Vowels

Nasal vowels don't exist in English, but you may be familiar with them from French (or from hearing people speak English with a French accent.) They are pronounced just like oral ("regular") vowels, only using your nose as well as your mouth. To English speakers, a nasal vowel often sounds like a vowel with a half-pronounced "n" at the end of it. You can hear examples of nasal vowels at the end of the French words "bon" and "Jean," or in the middle of the word "Français."

Though nasal vowels exist in Shuar, they are rarely written. Shuar speakers simply remember which vowels are nasal and which are not, just as English speakers remember when "a" is pronounced as in "father" and when it is pronounced as in "rather."

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:
ã	ą, añ	ã
ẽ	ę, eñ	ĩ
ĩ	į, iñ	ĩ
ũ	ų, uñ	ũ

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
ch	č	t	Like ch in chair.
j	h	h ~ x	Like h in hay. Sometimes it is pronounced more raspily, like the j in Spanish jalapeño.
k	c, qu	k	Like k in key.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
ng		ŋ	Like ng in sing.
ñ	ny	ñ	Like ny in canyon.
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		ts	Like the ts in tsunami.
w	hu	w	Like w in way.
y		j	Like y in yes.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

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