Email Broadcast
Please wait...- Alutiiq Language
- The Alphabet
Doubled Vowels: A, i, and u can be doubled for emphasis. When an aa, ii, or uu appears in a word, that syllable is accented. If there is a consonant before a double vowel, there is a slight pause before pronouncing that consonant. The reduced vowel e is never doubled.
|
Example word: tamuuq (dried fish)
Example word:
|
Dipthongs: A, i, and u are called prime vowels in Alutiiq. Pairs of different prime vowels show emphasis on a syllable. The new vowel sounds formed by: ai, au, ia, iu, ua, and ui are called dipthongs. The vowel sounds in these pairs are pronounced in rapid succession. The combination sounds are as follows:
|
ai
|
sounds like the ay in bay |
|
au
|
sounds like the ou in out or the ow in grow |
|
ia
|
sounds like ya in yacht |
|
ua
|
sounds like wa, in walk |
|
iu
|
sounds like you |
|
ui
|
sounds like we |
|
Example word: piugta (dog) Example word: kiak (summer) Example word: Quyanaituq (You're welcome) Example word: taugna (that one there) |
You may have noticed that the greeting Cama'i! has an apostrophe (') between the ending a and i. This is because it is NOT a dipthong. Without the apostrophe, a reader would assume that the pronunciation is cha-may instead of cha-meye.
Share Link: 
