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- Alutiiq Language
- The Alphabet
There are four vowels in the Alutiiq language: a, i, u, and e. There is no o in Alutiiq, and y is treated as a consonant only. A, i, and u are considered prime vowels. They can be doubled or combined for emphasis. The shorter sound e is known as a reduced vowel (see below).
Prime Vowels
A, i, and u are considered prime vowels, as they can produce a longer sound than the vowel e. They can be doubled (aa, ii, uu) or paired to form dipthongs (ai, au, ia, iu, ua, ui) for emphasis.
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Pronounced like the short a in father. Example word: alagnat (berries) |
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Example word: imaq (ocean) Example word: iqalluk (salmon) |
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The prime vowel u in Alutiiq sounds like the oo sound in the name Sue. When u is found on either side of a q or an r, it sounds more like the o in open. Example word: ulukaq (ulu knife) Example word: iruq (leg) |
Reduced Vowel
E is known as a reduced vowel because its sound is shorter than the other vowels, a, i, and u. Unlike the other three vowels, e cannot be doubled, cannot be paired with another vowel, and does not work to change the sounds of certain consonants (See When Letters Sound Different). Some people may remember seeing an underlined e known as the voiceless e in certain Alutiiq words in past years. In the new alphabet, this letter has been eliminated, and replaced by and apostrophe (').
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Sounds halfway between the uh in Uh-oh! and the e in elf. Sometimes it will sound a little more like one than the other. Example word: emaa (grandmother) Example word: ellpet (you) |
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