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Tonkawa Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

Tonkawa Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Tonkawa pronunciation:
a			Like the a in what.
a:	a•	a	Like the a in father.
e		ε	Like the e in red.
e:	e•	e	Like the e sound in Spanish, similar to the a in gaze.
i		I	Like the i in hit.
i:	i•	i	Like the ea in heat.
o			Like the au in taut.
o:	o•	o	Like the o in home.
u			Like the u in put.
u:	u•	u	Like the u in flute.

Tonkawa Diphthongs

Tonkawa Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Tonkawa pronunciation:
c	ts, ch	ts~	Like ts in tsar or ch in char.
c'		t	Like c, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
h		h	Like h in heart.
k	g	k	Like the soft k in skate.
k'			Like k, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
kw	gw, kw	kw	Like the soft qu in square.
kw'	kw'	k	Like kw, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
l		l	Like l in light.
l'			Like l, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
m		m	Like m in moon.
m'			Like m, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
n		n	Like n in night.
n'			Like n, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
p	b	p	Like the soft p in spill.
p'			Like p, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
s	sh	s~	Like s in sip or sh in ship.
sh			Like sh in shore.
t	d	t	Like the soft t in star.
t'			Like t, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
w		w	Like w in way.
w'			Like w, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
x	j	x	Raspy sound like the j in Spanish jalapeño.
x'			Like x, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
xw	xw	xw	This sound doesn't exist in English. The Tonkawa pronunciation is a light raspy sound like blowing out a candle.
xw'	xw'	x	Like xw, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
y		j	Like y in yes.
y'			Like y, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Tonkawa Indian Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

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