Tuscarora Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

The following charts show the pronunciation for the Tuscarora 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	u	a ~	Like the a in father or the au in caught.
a:	a·, aa	a	Like the a in father, only held longer.
e	eh	ε ~ æ	Like the e in set or the a in sat.
e:	e·, eh	ε	Like the e in get, only held longer.
i	ee	i ~ I	Like the i in police or i in pit.
i:	i·, ee	i	Like the i in police, only held longer.
u	oo	u ~ o	Like the u in flute or the o in note.
u:	o:, o·, oo	u	Like the u in flute, only held longer.

Nasal Vowels

Nasal vowels don't really 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."

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:
ę	e, enh	~
ę:	e:, ęę, eenh	~

Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
d	t	d	Like d in day.
f		f	Like f in fair. Only pronounced in the Tuscarora Nation dialect.
g	k	g	Like g in good.
h		h	Like h in English hay.
ch		t ~ d	Like ch in char or j in jar.
k	g	k ~ k^h	Like the soft k in ski or the hard k in key.
n		n	Like n in night.
r		r	Like r in English red.
s	sh, c	s ~	Like s in sell. Before y it is pronounced more like the sh in shell.
t	d	t ~ t^h	Like the soft t in sty or the hard t in tie.
th	θ	θ	Like the th in think. Only pronounced in the Tuscarora Nation dialect.
w		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."

Note that in this spelling system, sh is always pronounced like the sh in "mishap," never the sh in "shell."

Tuscarora Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

   Tuscarora picture dictionary
   Tuscarora alphabet and phonology
   Iroquoian linguistics
   Tribes of the Southeast
   Native Americans of Vermont
   Tuscarora legends

Back to the Amerindian language homepage
Back to Native American Indian Words
Learn more about the Tuscarora Indians.

Native American Indians American Indian crafts Aymara language Chitimacha American Indian genealogy

Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages?